The legislation currently in place in Ireland means that Egg donors must be identifiable if your Embryo transfer is to happen in Ireland. This does not mean that you will get the personal details of your donor. It means that when your donor-conceived child reaches the age of 18, s/he will be able to access the donor’s details in order to contact them.
ReproMed’s Donor Egg program with Ovumia clinics in Finland has identifiable donors. You will not obtain personal information about the donor such as her job, age, medical history, education or hobbies. Physical information about the donor will be shared such as hair colour, eye colour, ethnicity & height. Our donor coordinators will guide you through the Donor matching process.
One of the forms that you will be required to complete is a Donor Recipient Characteristics form. This gives us a physical description of you and your partner (if applicable) and every effort is made to choose a donor who matches you and your partner’s physical characteristics as closely as possible.
Do Donors get paid to donate?
The Donor’s decision to donate is altruistic and not commercial, although they do receive a modest reimbursement to cover their expenses incurred.
How often can donors donate?
Each country has different rules and guidelines regarding gamete donation and allocation of these gametes to recipients.
We at ReproMed, adhere to what the Irish Fertility Clinics call the three-family rule. This means that a donor can be allocated to a maximum of three families in Ireland. Once this quota is reached the donor cannot donate to any more Irish families.
Donors can also donate in other countries if they so choose and may have children of their own. This practice applies to both egg and sperm donation.
What medical screening does the donor get to ensure they are suitable to donate?
Egg Donors have extensive blood testing carried out including genetic testing and all donors are required to meet with a psychologist to ensure that they are fully aware of all the implications that may arise from their donation and are entirely comfortable with their decision to donate. These tests include:
• Medical, psychological and gynaecological examinations
• Blood and serological tests for infectious diseases
• Karyotyping (genetic tests) and screening for Cystic Fibrosis
Are there age restrictions for donor egg treatment (recipient)?
According to Finnish Law we can only create donor-derived embryos up to the time of your 47th birthday. We can however perform the embryo transfer here in Ireland after that time. Typically, here in ReproMed we will treat patients up to the age of 50, considering the general health of the individual.
If you would like further information on our Egg Donor Program, please contact our team
