Do you suffer from fertility problems due to a lack of eggs, or do you have low-quality eggs, making it hard for you to get pregnant? You might be eligible for egg donation. In other words, you are a candidate-recipient of eggs.

When are you a candidate-recipient of donor eggs?

You can rely on donor eggs if one of the following situations apply to you:

  • If you have no more eggs due to your age.
  • In case of early menopause.
  • If you have a genetic condition and cannot use your own eggs as a result.
  • If your own eggs are no longer suitable as a result of medical treatment (e.g. cancer treatment).

The difference between anonymous donation and known donation

There are two types of donation, each with their pros and cons. Decide which may the best in your specific situation. Below you will find a summary of the two options:

Not all women can easily ‘find’ someone willing to donate eggs for them and not everyone wants to involve a known donor in the process. Anonymous donation guarantees there are neither life-long commitments nor obligations towards the donor.

In this case, the donor and the recipient know each other. The donor voluntarily donates her eggs specifically for the recipient. They jointly decide what to tell the child(ren) and when. This is an option if you do not want to keep any information from your child(ren) about their genetic origin.

Treatment for anonymous donation:

Once the eggs are available, the recipient’s body is prepared for the transfer through medication. The eggs are thawed and inseminated with the sperm of the recipient’s partner or a sperm donor. Three to five days later, the embryo derived from the insemination is inserted into the recipient’s womb.

Treatment for known donation:

On the day of the egg retrieval, the eggs are inseminated with the sperm of the recipient’s partner or a sperm donor. The embryos are then frozen while the body of the recipient is prepared through medication, followed by the transfer of a thawed embryo.