Donor Criteria FAQs

To become an egg donor, you must meet the following criteria:

• Aged between 18 and 35 as generally, natural fertility and egg quality starts to decline when you reach 35.
• To have a clear medical history with no genetic or hereditary disorders (such as Type 1 Diabetes).
• To have a BMI (Body Mass Index) between 19 and 35.
• A non-smoker or have stopped smoking for at least three months; e-cigarettes still count as smoking.
• To be willing to attend regular clinic appointments, including counselling, to ensure you fully understand the implications of donating your eggs.
• To be willing to be identifiable to any child born using your eggs. (UK law means a donor-conceived person can apply to HFEA for information about you when they turn 18). 
• Be willing to possibly change your current contraception if you're currently using the Mirena coil or implant. 
• If you have recently had a baby, we ask that you wait six months after giving birth to give your body a chance to recover, and you can't be breastfeeding while donating or be pregnant.

Having a medical condition – even one for which you take regular medication – doesn't necessarily exclude you from being an egg donor. It's always worth checking with us before you apply. It depends on the condition and whether it is hereditary to any child born from your eggs.

We'll always seek clarification as to the nature of the condition and its potential impact on your health and the health of a donor-conceived child before accepting you as an egg donor.

You can still donate if you are adopted, but you will need to know the full medical history of your biological family on both your maternal and paternal sides until your grandparents. As long as you meet all the other requirements, being adopted won’t affect you being accepted onto our donor programme.

We have lots of patients who are looking for an egg donor to help them reach their dream and have a family of their very own.  We have a shortage of egg donors from ethnic backgrounds, and this does mean that donor choices are very limited for our patients who want a donor with the same ethnicity as themselves. They may have to wait for a long time to find that donor, so we always ask for donations from varied backgrounds.