What is egg donation
Egg donation is most commonly used when the patient is unable to produce her own eggs. This type of infertility is often associated with older maternal age, when the ovaries store of follicles is beginning to run out. The tell-tale signs are irregular - and even absent - periods, which are often a prelude to the menopause. In usually 'fertile' women this can happen in their late 30s and early 40s, but there are also younger women who are found to have this issue. This can happen in women as young as 20 or 30. For these women, egg donation is the only possible fertility treatment.
How it works
Treatment is much the same as standard IVF, except that the eggs are sourced from a friend or relative (known egg donation) or from an anonymous donor or egg bank. Patients receiving ‘fresh’ donor eggs from a donor must have hormone therapy to ensure that their own menstrual cycle matches the donor’s and is ready to receive an embryo for implantation. For patients using frozen eggs, all eggs are stored in a frozen state and are only thawed for fertilisation and transfer when needed by the recipient patient.
The London Egg Bank
The London Women’s Clinic has partnered with the London Egg Bank to provide access to a very large database of UK-recruited HFEA-compliant egg donors via their online catalogue. This means patients at all LWC locations can be treated with egg donation without facing a long waiting list - and have a good chance of finding a suitably matching donor without delay.
The London Egg Bank have introduced a personalised search service to help egg donation patients find their best donor. The service includes a personal dedicated matching expert, customised search for “hard to find” donors and emotional support throughout your journey at the clinic.
Counselling
For all patients considering treatment using donor eggs, counselling is always necessary to ensure they are fully aware of the UK's legislation on the identity of egg donors. All children born as a result of donor eggs in the UK have the right at the age of 18 to know the donor’s identity.
Success Rates
These statistics show our egg donation success rates for our individual clinics across the country - those that successfully lead to pregnancy. All pregnancies were confirmed for foetal heartbeat by ultrasound scans.
Under 35
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 36%
35-37
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 31%
38-39
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 24%
40-42
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 18%
Over 42
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 8%
Three Cycle Package
Package completed 2013
All ages
No national average available
Under 35
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
35-37
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
38-39
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
40-42
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Over 42
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Under 35
Cumulative pregnancy rate per cycle (n=12 Cycles)
March 2016 - February 2018
No national average available
35-37
Cumulative pregnancy rate per cycle (n=20 Cycles)
March 2016 - February 2018
No national average available
38-39
Cumulative pregnancy rate per cycle (n=18 Cycles)
March 2016 - February 2018
No national average available
40-42
Cumulative pregnancy rate per cycle (n=13 Cycles)
March 2016 - February 2018
No national average available
43 and over
Cumulative pregnancy rate per cycle (n=5 Cycles)
March 2016 - February 2018
No national average available
Fresh donor eggs
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
January 2016 - December 2017
National average 44%
Frozen donor eggs
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred
January 2016 - December 2017
No national average available
Intra-partner
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred (n=22 Cycles)
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 44%
Egg-sharing (recipient)
Pregnancy rate per embryo transferred (n=5 Cycles)
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 44%
Under 35 Natural Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate (n=21 Cycles)
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
All Ages Natural Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate (n=49 Cycles)
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Under 35 Stimulated Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate (n=32 Cycles)
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
All Ages Stimulated Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Under 35 Natural cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 13%
All Ages Natural Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Under 35 Stimulated Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate
February 2017 - January 2018
National average 15%
All Ages Stimulated Cycle
Clinical pregnancy rate
February 2017 - January 2018
No national average available
Verified live birth rates are available from the HFEA website. Please note that success rates have limitations as the basis for comparison and personal choice. For further advice, please visit the HFEA's advice pages.
