Need an Egg Donor?

Helping couples create their family

Melbourne IVF provides an egg donor program for those who are unable to conceive using their own eggs. Melbourne IVF can assist you in using an egg donor who is known to you (usually a sister or friend) or can assist you in advertising for an egg donor.

Melbourne IVF also offers a clinic recruited egg donation program. This program recruits local donors between the ages of 23-35 with around 5- 10 donors available per year. For more information please consult your fertility specialist or contact us on 1800 111 483

Who can be an egg donor?

Ideally a known egg donor should be aged between 23 and 40 years old, our clinic recruited egg donors are required to be aged between 23 and 35, and have completed their own family.

Prior to proceeding with donation, all potential egg donors (and their partners, if applicable) will undertake a minimum of two counselling sessions and screening blood tests, and will complete a Genetic and Medical Health Questionnaire.

Where there is a family history of genetic or medical conditions, a clinical geneticist provides an assessment of potential risks to future offspring.

Can egg donation help me?

You may be considering using donated eggs to create your family if:

You have gone through a premature menopause,
There is a risk of passing on a genetic disease,
Your ovaries have been affected by chemotherapy or serious illness,
You have had IVF treatment but repeated cycles have indicated poor egg quality, or
Same sex male couples in need of donor eggs to have their family

1. Counselling
After an initial consultation with your fertility specialist, counselling is scheduled for both you as the recipient and your donor (and your respective partners, if applicable). Counselling is mandatory, and is an opportunity to discuss donor treatment and its implications.
2. Donor IVF cycle
For donor egg cycles, if the intention is to transfer fresh embryos, your donor’s stimulated cycle is coordinated with your cycle. Your donor’s stimulation cycle is monitored (as for an IVF-stimulated cycle) by the fertility specialist and will usually involve two to three vaginal ultrasound scans. The donor egg collection procedure is performed under a light general anaesthetic and takes around 20 minutes. It is usually performed in our East Melbourne Specialist Day Hospital, Waverley Private Hospital Day Procedure Centre, or as a clinic patient through Reproductive Services at the Women's Hospital.
At the time of egg collection your partner (if appropriate) provides semen, which is used to fertilise the eggs in the laboratory.
Two to five days after the egg collection and fertilisation, one of the resulting embryos is transferred to you and any other viable embryos are frozen for potential future transfer. After two weeks, you have a pregnancy test.

Transfer of frozen embryos made from donor eggs will usually take place in the recipient’s natural cycle (see thaw cycle) and does not require any further treatment for the egg donor.
The pregnancy rate when using donated eggs is related to the age of the donor, and the number and quality of the eggs. Your fertility specialist will be able to advise you further about this at the time of your consultation.

The Infertility Treatment Act 2008 allows the donor to withdraw consent to use of the embryos (by the recipient) at any time.