EGG SHARING - INFORMATION FOR EGG RECIPIENT

One way of getting donated eggs is through our egg-sharing programme. This is where a patient who requires IVF is given reduced price treatment in return for sharing the eggs collected from her in that cycle with a woman who requires egg donation, such as yourself.

Suitability

The same criteria used in selecting altruistic egg donors are used for egg sharers. For a woman to be considered for the Egg Sharing Programme she has to be under 36 years old with no personal or family history of inherited illnesses or abnormalities. She will be seen by the Consultant 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 (basal serum FSH) will be reviewed before deciding on her suitability. The GP will 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 (chlamydia and gonorrhoea), hepatitis B & C, HIV (the Aids virus) and cystic fibrosis. Her chromosomes (Karyotype) will be checked.

Egg-Sharing Arrangements

The egg sharing works as follows:

The woman sharing her eggs with you will remain anonymous and you will not be given any details about her or her treatment outcome. You will also be anonymous to her.

If she gets 6 eggs or more, she will share them equally with you. If she gets an even number, each one of you will get half the eggs. If she gets an odd number, she will get the extra egg.

If she gets less than 6 eggs, then we believe that there are too few eggs to share. She will keep them all herself and the sum of £…….00 will be refunded to you. We will do our best to find you another egg donor as soon as practically possible.

If the egg-provider withdraws her consent prior to embryo transfer, the sum of £…...00 will be refunded to you.

Be aware that your treatment will start only when a suitable egg-provider is available and ready to undergo treatment. This may involve waiting for a variable length of time.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, you will be the legal parent of any child resulting from the donated eggs that have been fertilised and implanted in your womb.

You will be given suitable opportunity to take part in counselling about the implications of the proposed treatment.

It costs you £……. for IVF or £…….. for ICSI (excluding the drugs).

Alternative Options

Other sources of getting donated eggs are altruistic donors. You will be informed by the doctor/nurse at the hospital about the current waiting times for altruistic donors and for egg-sharers to help you decide.