Compensated Egg-Sharing

If you are not eligible for NHS funding (see funding), one way of helping to pay for IVF/ICSI treatment is through our Egg Sharing Programme. In this programme you get your treatment at a subsidised price. In return you agree to share the eggs collected from you in that cycle with a woman who requires egg donation.

Suitability

For a woman to be considered for the Egg Sharing Programme she must be aged less than 35 years and six months, with no personal or family history of inherited illnesses or congenital abnormalities. She will be seen by a doctor and a specialist nurse for assessment, and she will also have independent counselling. The response to any previous fertility treatment she may have had, and the result of hormonal tests will be reviewed before deciding on her suitability. The GP will also be contacted (with the patient’s permission) for details about medical and family history.

Prior to treatment she will be screened for sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea), hepatitis, HTLV 1&2, HIV and cystic fibrosis.

Egg Sharing Arrangements

The egg sharing works as follows:-

The woman sharing your eggs will remain anonymous to you. You will also be anonymous to her. If you get 6 eggs or more the eggs will be equally shared. If you get less than 6 eggs then we believe there are too few eggs to share. You will keep them all yourself and have your treatment as planned (at no extra cost).

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 states that as a donor, you will not be the legal parent of any child resulting from your donated eggs, however any child born from donor eggs will be able to find out your identity when they reach the age of 18.