Egg Donation UK

Step 1: Apply Online

The initial online application pre-qualifies you so that you know if you meet the initial requirements for being an egg donor.

Step 2: Complete Our Comprehensive Donor Application Form

The Grace Donors egg donation UK application form requires health and family genetic information. It also gives you the opportunity to tell prospective intended parents a little more about who you are.

Please note: Intended parents will not see any identifying information about you, including your adult photos, we provide our donors with a pseudonym so that your identity is protected.

Step 3: Briefing Session

Once your application form is complete, it will be reviewed and if approved, a Grace Donor representative will give you a call to fully explain everything about becoming an egg donor. This is your opportunity to ask every question you can think of and to find out more about the egg donation procedure. Our FAQs can be located by using this link: Egg Donor FAQ

Step 6: What to expect

You will attend a maximum of 7 clinic visits over the 3–4 month process. You are not responsible for the costs of the appointments or medication. If you qualify for a travel allowance, this would have been discussed during your one-on-one briefing session.

1st visit – Doctor appointment

To see the Fertility Specialist. This is a one-hour appointment. The doctor will tell you about the egg donation process and perform an internal scan to ensure your ovaries are suitable for donation. Blood tests will be performed to test for AIDS, Hepatitis, genetic testing (this is a once-off, and the results can take 6 to 8 weeks), and any sexually transmitted diseases.

You will be required to sign two consent forms – one for Grace Egg Donors and one for the clinic which stipulates that you are committed to the donation, that you will remain anonymous, and that you have no right or claim to any child that could be born from the egg donation. The consent will protect both you and your recipient.

2nd visit – Counselling Assessment

To see the counsellor. This is a one-hour appointment. It could occur at the clinic or via Skype, Zoom, or WhatsApp video (this will be decided when you book your appointment with the counsellor). The counsellor wants to ensure that donating will not have a negative effect on you emotionally or mentally and that there isn’t anything in your family’s history that would prevent you from donating. This assessment is only repeated every 12 months, so it is not required for every donation.

Outcome of Doctor and Counselling Assessments

If both the Doctor and Counselor are happy with the results of your initial appointments, you will start on a low dose of the pill for 4 to 6 weeks. If you are currently on the pill, you will remain on it until the clinic coordinator informs you to stop taking it. The pill’s purpose is to synchronise your and the hopeful mother’s menstrual cycles (so that you both start your menstrual cycles on the same day).

Please note that some clinics will not include the pill as part of their treatment plan; they will wait until your next menstrual cycle begins. The type of plan that the doctor will follow will be discussed at your first doctor appointment.

3rd – 6th visits – The fertility medication and scans

Once your periods are synchronised, you start fertility medication in the form of daily injections over 12 days. (This starts +-8 to 10 weeks after your initial appointments) The injections are very easy to administer (tummy or thigh) and are administered much the same as a person with diabetes would give himself an insulin injection.

The clinic coordinator will show you how to administer the medication. Why do you need to inject? These injections will stimulate the production of eggs in the ovary by slightly increasing your hormone levels. During this period (12 days of fertility medication), you will be required to visit the clinic for a maximum of 4 scans over the 12 days.

These scans enable the doctor to measure follicle growth, check how your body reacts to the medication, and keep a close eye on how those beautiful eggs develop.

7th visit – The egg retrieval

This is the day that the eggs are retrieved. This is the only day you will need to take the whole day off, as your recovery is paramount to us.
The clinic can provide you with a doctor’s certificate, which will state that you had a medical procedure done. It will not state that you have donated, as this is private and confidential information, and at Grace Egg Donors, we are committed to ensuring you receive that privacy. (You will not be charged for the doctor’s certificate.)

The procedure is generally scheduled in the morning, and you’ll be home by noon. The egg retrieval process takes about 20-30 minutes, with about an hour of recovery at the clinic. You will have intravenous sedation for comfort called ‘twilight sedation’ – a fancy term for a lovely, deep sleep. The egg retrieval is performed under ultrasound guidance with a fine needle passing from the upper vagina into each ovary. There is no cutting or stitching on your stomach. Remember that you will be asleep so that you won’t feel anything.

How will I feel after the retrieval?

It is challenging for us to anticipate how you are going to feel after the retrieval. Some donors have no pain or discomfort – and other donors do. Although recovery from the procedure is rapid, and you may go home within an hour or two of having the procedure done – you may not drive yourself as you will still be drowsy from the sedation.

Please note the following:

• For the two weeks that you are on the fertility medication and for two weeks after the retrieval, you will either need to refrain from unprotected sexual intercourse or take extra precautions.
• Your menstrual period should begin approximately 14 days after your retrieval, and you can then start taking your regular contraceptive.