Information for people offering to be Sperm or Egg Donors
At IVF Hammersmith we offer treatment to people who have a relative or friend who is willing to donate sperm or eggs. If you are considering doing this for someone you know it is essential that you fully understand what will be involved and have the opportunity to consider any implications for the future. Yours will be a very special and unique gift, however we want ensure that you have as much time as you need and are well informed before going ahead as a donor.
Who is suitable to be a donor?
You need to be at least 18 and no more than 36 years old to donate eggs and no more than 45 years old to donate sperm, unless there are exceptional circumstances. We will need to do a number of medical tests to ensure that there is no reason why you should not be a donor. These include blood screening for Hepatitis B and C, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. We also need to ask about your personal and family medical history to exclude any genetic conditions.
Can donors receive claim any costs?
You should not be out of pocket as a result of acting as a donor for a relative or friend. Under UK law, donors can be paid for their expenses and up to £61.28 per day for actual loss of earnings, with an overall limit of £250.00 for a cycle of donation. These costs would have to be met by the people to whom you are donating. You are not allowed to receive a fee.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the organisation that regulates the work carried out in IVF clinics.
The HFEA keeps a Register of confidential information about people who have had licensed treatment, the donors and the children who are born. Donors are asked to provide information which would be relevant to a donor-conceived child or young person. This includes their name, physical characteristics, ethnic origin, family medical history and as much information as possible about their family background, interests, hobbies and skills. They are also asked to describe why they decided to be a donor, to write a goodwill message to the child and provide any other descriptive information that might be of interest to the child. This provides a sense of what the donor is like because, for many children, this information will be important in order to have a complete sense of their own identity.
Young people have been given a legal right to information about their origins and for donor-conceived people this includes the right to ask for the donor’s description when they are 16 years old and for the donor’s name and address when they are 18. We will discuss all aspects of the right to information when you attend for appointments and provide you with detailed written information about it.
The Legal Parents
1. Any woman who gives birth to a baby is the legal mother
2. The sperm or egg donor has no legal responsibilities or rights in relation to the child
Counselling
The decision about donation involves thinking about all the experiences and possible issues that could occur in the future. If you know the recipient couple, you need to consider what your relationship will be and what the children’s needs might be as they grow up. This is complicated, needs time and it is good to have support. It is also essential that you are fully informed and understand all aspects of donation before you consent to treatment.
For these reasons, we always ask you to arrange counselling so that you can talk through the ethical, emotional, legal and practical details before you make a final decision. The counsellor will also be able to provide details of support groups and additional written information.
Next Step
If you are interested in being a donor, you and the person to whom you wish to donate will first need to have an appointment with one of our doctors. For details of what you will need to do, see ‘Getting Referred to the Clinic’ on our website.
