Questions? Call0808 196 1942orMessage us

Donation

Build your family using an egg donor

Our comprehensive donation programme can help match you to your ideal donor.

Call 0808 120 39 64

Book your consultation

Is donor conception right for me?

For many people, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community, their journey to parenthood is not possible without the help of an egg donor.

Using donated eggs in your fertility treatment is a significant decision. We're here to support you as you decide whether donor conception is the right choice for you.

Our team of doctors and nurses will be able to advise on the best treatment pathway for you and your family. But we are likely to recommend donor conception if:

You are not producing any eggs of your own
You are at risk of passing on an inherited disease
Your own eggs are unlikely to result in a successful pregnancy
You are a same-sex male couple

Donation

Your journey using egg donation

Young couple speaking to consultant - Preserving your fertility as a couple

1. Consultation and assessment

All patients begin their TFP Fertility journey with a fertility assessment and consultation with one of our fertility specialists. Our fertility tests are designed to provide you with a clear overview of your fertility health and allow our doctors to tailor your treatment plan to your specific needs.

2. Decide a treatment pathway

If you choose to go ahead with treatment using donor eggs, you'll need to undergo a partial IVF cycle.

The donor eggs are mixed with the sperm of your partner or co-parent and left to develop into a mature embryo over 5-6 days.

Young women speaking with medical consultant - How much does embryo freezing cost

3. Counselling

You’ll have the opportunity to meet with a specialist counsellor to talk through your thoughts and feelings throughout your fertility journey, as well as the implications of building your family with donor sperm and what this may mean for you and your family in the future.

4. Choose your egg donor

There are several ways to find your egg donor - this includes through a licensed fertility clinic or donation bank, or you may wish to use a known donor. At TFP Fertility, our donors undergo in-depth health and fertility testing to ensure their donation is safe to its recipient and any children conceived.

5. Preparing your donor eggs

If you've chosen an egg donor from TFP Fertility's donation bank or an external source, the eggs will be shipped to your treatment clinic and thawed ready for use.

If you're using a known donor, they will need to undergo an egg collection procedure as part of your IVF treatment.

6. Using your donor eggs

To prepare your body for transfer, you'll need to take a course of fertility medication to align your cycle and prepare your womb so that it is ready to accept the embryo.

The highest-quality embryo will be transferred and any remaining healthy embryos can be frozen and safely stored for future use.

Suppressing your natural menstrual cycle

The right donor for you

Choosing your egg donor is a deeply personal choice. We're here to offer guidance and support when you need it, but for many patients, it comes down to a feeling when you've found the right donor for you.

When purchasing eggs through a licensed fertility clinic or donation bank, you'll receive information on the donor's hair and eye colour, height and weight, ethnicity and other characteristics such as occupation and hobbies to help you make a decision.

How to find your egg donor

Learn more

1. Choose from your clinic's donation bank

Some fertility clinics have their own donation banks with catalogues of egg donors for you to choose from. Waiting lists for donors can be lengthy so it's essential to check the current wait times before making a commitment to ensure the estimated wait time aligns with your treatment.

2. Use a known donor

Some people are fortunate to have a friend or family member willing to be their donor. If you wish to use a known donor, they must undergo the same stringent testing as anonymous donors to ensure they are suitable to donate. Additionally, there are restrictions on mixing sperm and eggs between close relatives.

3. Find donor eggs online

Donor eggs can be purchased from accredited donation banks online shipped to your chosen clinic for treatment. You must ensure your sources are credible and meet the medical and legal requirements for donation. You should also confirm the purchase and shipping costs before proceeding.

Fertility treatment using donor sperm

In vitro fertilisation (IVF)

In IVF treatment, the donor eggs are mixed with your partner's or co-parent's sperm in a lab and left to develop into mature embryos. Healthy embryos are then transferred to the birth parent during a stimulated cycle.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Eggs that have been frozen have harder cell walls which are more difficult for sperm to penetrate on their own. Using a technique called ICSI, we inject a single healthy sperm directly into the egg to aid fertilisation.

Surrogacy

For those using a surrogate, you may also require an egg donor if you surrogate has chosen not to use their own eggs to help concieve your baby. We'll provide guidance on your particular circumstances throughout your journey.

Frozen embryo transfer (FET)

For some patients, a frozen embryo transfer may be necessary. Our advanced methods of freezing and cooling embryos have helped us achieve exceptional success rates.

Donor conception FAQs

Start your donor conception journey

Book your consultation

Find your TFP Fertility clinic

Join a fertility information event