Become an egg donor
More and more women today have problems getting pregnant with their own eggs. By being an egg donor, you will be able to help other women make their dream of a child come true. You are compensated with DKK 7.000 per donation and you can donate a total of 6 times.
What are the requirements for you as an egg donor?
An egg donor in Denmark must:
- Be between 18 and 35 years old.
- Be healthy and fit, physically and mentally.
- Not having or carrying known hereditary diseases.
- Not have known infectious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and syphilis.
- As an egg donor, you may donate a total of 6 times.
You may have an IUD (both copper and hormonal IUD) during the donation; You may use birth control pills or mini-pills – then there will be a break during the weeks you undergo stimulation and egg retrieval; If you have a birth control stick, it is not possible to donate until it is removed.
Donationstyper ved ægdonation
A donor can choose to be ID-release (open), no ID-release (anonymous or anonymous plus) or ‘known’.
ID release (open) donation
ID release means that at a later stage (typically when the child turns 18) identifiable information about the donor can be handed over to the child via the clinic. In addition, it is possible to obtain the same information about the donor in the form of the basic profile (eye colour, hair colour, height, weight, blood type, age).
No ID release (Anonymous) donation
No ID release means that no contact can ever be established with the donor. Basic information can be provided here in the form of the donor’s skin, hair and eye colour, as well as height and weight, but it is at no time possible to obtain the donor’s identity. With some donors, called ‘plus’, there is a range of extra information about the donor. The donor decides for herself what she wants to disclose (e.g. education and leisure interests). It is at no time possible to obtain the donor’s identity.
Known donation
With ‘known donation’, the receiving couple/woman has themselves established contact with a woman who wants to donate her eggs to the couple/woman. This egg donor is not compensated by the clinic, so you must agree with the donor yourself how she is to be compensated. The known egg donor must not be closely related to the man, which means that she must not, for example, be the man’s sister or cousin, or be a daughter of the man’s cousin or cousin.
The course of egg donation
1. Non-binding interview/screening interview per telephone
The process starts with a non-binding telephone conversation with our egg donation team. Here you will be thoroughly informed about the process, and you will be asked about you and your family members for 3 generations. Here you can choose whether you want to be an anonymous or open egg donor.
2. Ultrasound scan of ovaries and uterus
If, after the first interview, you still want to donate eggs, you will have to fill in a journal about your state of health, hereditary diseases in the family, etc. The doctor will perform an ultrasound scan of your ovaries and uterus, take a blood test for infectious diseases and measure your egg reserve. The doctor will also tell you about ethical and legal aspects regarding egg donation. If you and the doctor still agree on your suitability, you then sign a declaration of donation.
3. Starting and dispensing medication for hormone therapy
When you’re ready to start, we’ll review your plan and educate you on how to take the hormones. You will have all medication delivered to you at the clinic.
4. Hormone treatment
On the 2nd day of your cycle, i.e. the day after the start of menstruation, you must start the medication, which is called FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone). The hormones, which mature more eggs, are taken as an injection into the skin of the stomach once a day. For the majority of women, this is experienced as easy and painless. Our skilled doctors and nurses will of course instruct you thoroughly in this. They must be taken at the same time each day (+/- an hour). On the 7th day of the cycle, you must, by agreement with the clinic, take another hormonal preparation which prevents you from ovulating prematurely.
5. Control at the clinic
The next check-up takes place 8-10 days after start-up, where we can check with the help of a scan whether the stimulation has affected the ovaries to develop an appropriate number of follicles. We arrange a time for a new scan one of the following days. Most women must have 10-12 days of stimulation before egg retrieval can be planned. In any case, you will know the date of egg retrieval two days before it takes place.
6. Injection with ovulatory hormone
When the eggs are ripe, the egg retrieval is planned. You will be notified when to take the injection with the ovulation hormone. This injection should always be taken in the evening, usually 36 hours before the scheduled egg retrieval. It causes ovulation approx. 40 hours later, so that the eggs can be released. It is very important that the timing of the injection of the ovulatory hormone is observed precisely.
7. How to prepare for egg retrieval
Before the egg collection, it is a good idea to eat a good breakfast.
You show up at the agreed time and should expect to be at the clinic for approx. 1-2 hours.
We encourage you to bring a companion, as you are not allowed to drive yourself due to the medication we give you during the egg collection.
Approximately 1 hour before meeting at the clinic, you must take some tablets to prevent pain. These tablets are dispensed on the day the egg retrieval is planned.
8. Egg retrieval
Immediately before the egg retrieval, the nurse inserts a small plastic needle into a vein (venflon). The nurse gives painkillers, at the same time as the doctor washes off and applies local anesthetic to the vaginal wall. You will be awake but relaxed. Heart rate and blood pressure are monitored throughout the procedure.
The egg retrieval itself takes place by passing a thin needle through the vaginal wall into the ovaries. The individual egg sacs are emptied of liquid, whereby the egg is sucked out. We try to empty all egg sacs and you will be notified immediately if we have found eggs. The bioanalyst uses a microscope to find the eggs in the fluid that is sucked out. You will be able to follow the egg retrieval on a TV screen. The egg retrieval itself usually takes 5-10 minutes. After the procedure, you will rest for approximately 1 hour at the clinic.
9. After egg retrieval
We recommend that you rest at home for the rest of the day. There may be some vaginal bleeding for the next few days (like a small period). The blood originates from the needle pricks in the vagina – not from the uterus. Pain may also occur, which should be alleviated with Pinex. There must be someone to accompany you home, as you are not allowed to drive yourself for the next 24 hours, and you should preferably not be alone for the rest of the day. There may be light discomfort for up to a week after the procedure.
If, contrary to custom, there is heavy bleeding, a lot of pain or a fever after the egg retrieval, you must call and ask to speak to a nurse or a doctor.
A lovely greeting from Lotte, who has received donor eggs
– Lotte –
We are super happy that it could be done. When it is difficult to have children, there are a lot of emotions at stake and there are some big roller coaster rides along the way. But we have been really lucky twice and we are super grateful that there are people who donate so that we, who cannot by nature ourselves, can still have children
Risks of egg donation
Complications are rare, but of course the donor must always be thoroughly informed about them before she agrees to egg donation. However, the practice is to try to avoid complications by using as gentle protocols for stimulation as possible.
Hormonal stimulation can in rare cases have some side effects – e.g. development of overstimulation syndrome. The woman may experience severe abdominal pain, nausea and shortness of breath. Hospitalization may be necessary here.
Bleeding, swelling, lack of wound healing, infections or post-bleeding may occur during egg retrieval. In extremely rare cases, damage to the surrounding organs can also occur during egg retrieval.
Would you like to speak with a former egg donor?
Perhaps you have questions that you would like to discuss with someone who has previously donated eggs?
Nadia Gullestrup Christensen has dreamed of donating eggs since she was 14, because her mother had difficulty having children herself.
“For me, it is very much about the joy of helping other people. There is a big problem with fertility in Denmark, and especially for women it is a problem because there are relatively many sperm donors and there are not so many egg donors”.