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IVF using donor eggs at TFP Fertility UK
At TFP Fertility UK, we have over 35 years of expertise in fertility care, and we’ve proudly helped thousands of families on their pathway to parenthood.
We have a wealth of experience in caring for and supporting couples and individuals who wish to use donor eggs or sperm. We’re here to guide you throughout your journey, with a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
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IVF using donor eggs
An IVF treatment cycle using donor eggs follows the same process as conventional IVF, except the eggs used are those from a donor.
You can use eggs from a known donor (for example, a friend or relative) or from a licensed egg bank.
As part of the process, you’ll be offered counselling from a specialist fertility counsellor to help you fully understand what it means to use eggs from a donor and what you and your family can expect both now and in the future.
Whatever your situation and wherever you are on your fertility journey, we’ll work with you to develop a personalised treatment plan that optimises your chances of a successful pregnancy.
Why would I use an egg donor?
You may consider using donated eggs in your fertility treatment if:
You’re not producing your own eggs
Your own eggs are unlikely to conceive a baby
You have a risk of passing on a genetic disorder to a child
You’re a male same sex couple or you’re a single man using surrogacy
How does using donor eggs for IVF work?
If you’re using a known donor, they will need to undergo a partial IVF cycle to retrieve their eggs.
If you're using eggs donated to a licensed egg bank, the eggs will have been frozen and stored and will, therefore, need thawing before they can be used.
At TFP Fertility, we have our own licensed egg bank where women have donated their eggs.
We can help you choose your ideal donor by providing as much information about them as possible. This includes their ethnicity, height, weight, eye and hair colour.
What is the IVF treatment process using donor eggs?
An IVF cycle using donated eggs follows the same process as conventional IVF, except the eggs used are those from a donor.
If you’re using a known donor, they will need to undergo a partial IVF cycle to retrieve their eggs. A course of hormonal medication is given to stimulate growth of multiple eggs. The mature eggs are then collected directly from the ovaries for use in treatment.
The donor eggs are fertilised with sperm from your partner or co-parent or a donor in a lab. The fertilised eggs develop into embryos which are cultured in a lab for 5-6 days.
The healthiest embryo is selected for transfer into the egg recipient's uterus and any remaining healthy embryos can be frozen and stored for use in future treatment.
As the egg recipient, you may be given a short course of hormonal medication to prepare your body for embryo transfer. During embryo transfer, a catheter is inserted through the cervix and into the uterus. The embryo is then released into the uterine cavity in the hope of successful implantation.
The embryo transfer itself is a brief and painless procedure, requiring no anaesthesia. Many women compare the procedure to that of a smear test.
How successful is IVF using donor eggs?
The success of donor eggs is related to the age of the egg donor and your individual medical history. This is the case whether you’re using eggs from a known donor or from a licensed egg bank.
Our fertility teams will be able to give you more information before you embark on your treatment.
Head to your local TFP Fertility clinic page to see a breakdown of our success rates per age range and treatment type.
Can TFP Fertility UK help me find an egg donor?
Each of our clinics has access to egg donors.
You can be assured that all our donors are fit and healthy having met strict qualifying criteria to donate.
Our donors are also required to share their full medical history and those of their immediate biological family.
We carry out several tests to screen for any illnesses, infections or genetic conditions that could be passed to either the birth mother or the baby.
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Contact us today
If you’d like to know more about using donor eggs or would like to book an appointment, please contact us. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours and provide you with all the information you need to get started.
Frequently asked questions
Here we answer some of the questions people most often ask us.
If you want to know more, contact our friendly team today for a confidential chat and to book an appointment with one of our fertility experts.
What information can you provide about a donor?
When you’re looking for a suitable donor, we’ll provide you with as much information as we can about them without revealing their identity.
Typically, the information we’ll provide will include:
Physical characteristics
Height
Colour of hair, skin and eyes
Personal profile
If they have proven fertility
Their reason for donating
Their age at the time of donation
Religion and ethnic group
Interests and skills
Occupation
We also suggest to donors that they write a description who they are and a kind message to any children created from their donation.
Can I find my own donor eggs to use?
Yes, you can find your own egg donor to use for fertility treatment at TFP Fertility UK.
We strongly recommend you only use eggs from licensed clinics in the UK or abroad.
Alternatively, you may wish to use eggs from someone you know, such as a family member or friend.
If you do wish to use a known donor, they’ll have to undergo some health tests at one of our clinics, attend counselling, and sign consent forms before becoming a donor.
We’ll discuss the full process with you during your consultation and give you plenty of time to ask questions.
How long will I have to wait before I can use donor eggs?
If you find a donor and you’re happy to move ahead, you can start treatment straight away.
The availability of frozen eggs may mean you need to join a waiting list, but we’ll be able to advise on this during your consultation.
If you wish to use fresh donor eggs, for example from a known donor, the only delay will be that your menstrual cycle will need to be synchronised to your donor’s cycle.
How many donor eggs will I receive?
We guarantee six eggs from your donor for your treatment cycle.
All eggs will be fertilised in a lab with sperm to become embryos.
If you become pregnant after IVF treatment, we can store any extra embryos for future use.
Can I reserve eggs to have more children from the same donor?
This is something that we can discuss during your consultation, it is possible if the eggs are available.
We also include embryo freezing as part of all our fertility treatments, so any high-quality embryos remaining after an IVF cycle can be stored for future use.
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