At O.L.G.A. Fertility Clinic, we have our own egg donor database: young, attractive, fertile women who have passed our medical tests. Most women who are in need of donated eggs to become a mother have experienced difficulties in finding a suitable egg donor. Only a small part of these women has a friend or female relative able and willing to go through the egg donation procedure on their behalf.<\/p>\n\n
Egg donation is a process that demands a lot of persistence from the donor. She must be prepared to undergo the whole IVF treatment cycle up to and including the phase where some of her eggs are collected. She must be able to accept the fact that, if successful, the procedure will result in the birth of a baby with her genes. She must also be ready for the possibility of that the treatment may fail. Finding such a special person is hard.<\/p>\n
Sometimes sisters or friends suggest donating their eggs, although not everyone is able to commit to the time and undergo the risks that egg donation involves. And even then, you may wish to decline the offer, for example if the person concerned has an appearance different from yours. It is a highly private issue, yet the potential donor may be upset if you turn her down. Also, there may be medical reasons why an individual should not become an egg donor. For example, many clinics do reject egg donors who are overweight, or whose age is too high for the treatment to have a good chance of success. Furthermore, the would-be egg donor may feel under pressure to donate, and we have seen many cases where an offer to donate is then withdrawn when the donor becomes more informed of what is expected of her, or if she has second thoughts. For the infertile woman or couple who have entrusted their chance to this egg donor, such a retraction can be devastating.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it can also be a hard task to find an egg donor via a clinic or hospital. A number of European countries now have legislation restricting egg donation (i.e. in terms of anonymity). Since these law came into force, the number of women offering their eggs to be donated to help infertile couples has significantly fallen. In countries such as Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Norway, egg donation is actually forbidden. In the Netherlands, many fertility clinics do not accept egg donors younger than 30, or those who plan more children of their own, while egg recipients may be no older than 45.<\/p>\n
Even in countries with more tolerant laws, such as the UK, the removal of anonymity means that waiting lists for egg donation can extend to several years. The chance of finding an egg donor at all, let alone one who fits your requirements, is often very low.<\/p>\n\n