What are my rights and responsibilities as a donor?
Legal parenthood
You will not be the legal parent of any child conceived from your donations.
Withdrawal of consent
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time up to the point at which your egg(s) are used in treatment. If you decide to withdraw consent, we ask that you tell us as soon as possible to allow us time to make alternative arrangements for your egg recipient.
Access to information
The HFEA registers all information regarding treatment with donors. You, the donor, can request non-identifying information about any children born as a result of your donated egg(s), including the number of children born, their sex, and their year of birth.
What information can be disclosed to donor-conceived offspring?
From the age of 16, donor conceived children have access to the following non-identifying information about their donor:
- physical description (height, weight, eye hair and skin colours)
- year and country of birth
- ethnicity of donor and donor’s parents
- number and sex of other genetic children donor had when they registered
- marital status at time of donation
- details of any screening tests and medical history
- reasons for donating
- a goodwill message written by the donor for the benefit of the donor-conceived offspring and their reasons for donating
- skills and any other details the donor may have chosen to • supply, such as occupation, religion and interests.
From the age of 18, donor-conceived children can access the full name, as well as previous names, date and place of birth, and last known postal address of the donor.
From 16, if contemplating marriage, or 18, people can ask the HFEA if they were conceived as a result of donor insemination and, if so, whether they are related to the person they are about to marry.
Is egg donation confidential?
Egg donors and recipients do not meet so donation remains anonymous. However, it is possible for the donor to find out if the recipient has achieved a pregnancy and, if a live birth occurs, the donor has the right to request the sex of the child/children and birth year.
Will I be paid for donating my eggs?
As of October 2011, new rules from the HFEA allow egg donors to recieve a fixed sum of £750 per cycle of egg donation, including expenses.
Travel
All fully receipted public transport travel costs over £15 will be reimbursed. Taxis are expected to only be used where public transport facilities are unavailable. Reimbursement on petrol is based at £0.300 per mile for car, £0.153 per mile for motorcycle, and £0.053 per mile for bicyclists. The travel expenses of an accompanying person can also be reimbursed on the same basis. Loss of earningsDonors may be compensated for loss of earnings (but not for the cost of conveniences) up to a daily amount of £55.19 but with an overall limit of £250 for each cycle of egg donation.
What requirements are there to become an egg donor?
You must be under 36 years of age and weigh less than 85kg/190lbs/13 stone. You will not be able to donate if you have epilepsy, diabetes or any infectious disease such as HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. If you are unsure about whether you would be able to donate, please call us and we will discuss this with you.
If I have just had a baby can I still donate?
Once your periods have started again and you have finished breastfeeding you can donate.Can I donate if I have been sterilised?You can still donate your eggs if you have had a sterilisation as we do not need your Fallopian tubes to be open to collect your eggs. It should not affect the quality of your eggs.
Can I donate if I am taking the contraceptive injection?
Yes, although you will have to stop using it during treatment. Please try to note down when you last had an injection and do not have another injection if you are considering donating. You are advised to use condoms for contraception instead.
Can I specify to whom I would like my eggs to go?
At our centre we treat a variety of couples of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. We also treat older women (aged 45 to 55), single women, and lesbian couples and have obligations towards the welfare of any child resulting from fertility treatments. If you have selection criteria regarding your recipient (such as age or relationship) please record this on the enclosed questionnaire. We will never match you with a recipient unless they fulfil your specified criteria.