Who are the very special women who donate their eggs to offer hope to someone desperate to conceive?
The truth is – they are women just like you. They are working, they are studying, they are looking after families. They come from all walks of life from across the UK.
In this country, donors must simply be non-smokers, between 18 and 35 years old, in good health, with a BMI of 18 to 30. If you fit these criteria, and have a clear medical history with no genetic or hereditary disorders, then you’re a potential donor.
Are there enough donors?
There is huge demand for donor eggs. The HFEA, the body that regulates fertility treatment in the UK, reported a rise in the numbers of women having IVF with donor eggs going up from nearly 2000 women in 2006 to nearly 4000 in 2016.
While donors are still in desperately short supply, more and more young women are choosing to donate. Figures released by the HFEA in October 2019 show that in 2017 the number of new donors rose by nearly 11% on the previous year, with over 1800 women registering.
But, there are still not enough women coming forward to provide the eggs needed to treat people suffering with infertility. Those waiting for donor eggs include women with low egg reserve and those who cannot produce eggs of their own because they have had lifesaving treatment for cancer or other serious illnesses, as well as same sex male couples. For these people, a donor egg is their only hope of conceiving.
Who is donating?
For many women and couples, finding a donor who shares some physical similarities with them is really important – whether in height and weight, or ethnicity, hair type and eye colour.
According to HFEA figures published in March 2019, 70% of new egg donors in 2016 identified as white British. This means women and couples from ethnic minority backgrounds can face a difficult search and long wait for the right donor.
The HFEA reports that of new donors registering in 2016, just 2% identified as Indian and 2% black African. If more young women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds begin to come forward as donors, we can help make sure that every person who needs a donor egg can find the right match.
The majority of women who donate are in their early 30s, but with donations accepted from women of age 18 to 35 and a growing awareness of the shortage of donors, the numbers of younger women donating has grown in recent years.
Why are women donating?
The decision to donate is a very personal one. Some women feel their family is complete and want to pass on that same opportunity to someone else. Others may still be studying or just starting out on their career and perceive donating as a rare chance to do something that is completely transformational for those who will go on to benefit from their gift.
With donation carefully regulated in the UK, women feel safe and comfortable going through the process, and many say it’s one of the most fulfilling things they’ve ever done.
