Deciding if the egg donor should be an anonymous donor or non-anonymous donor is a very serious matter. This choice will have impact on your life long after your pregnancy and birth, even your entire life. Both choices carry their own set of consequences that you will need to know about.
Anonymous donor
Choosing an anonymous donor is more confidential and gives more piece of mind when it comes to child related rights. An egg donor is chosen with the help of your fertility clinic or agency. The clinics have egg donor base where you can see all the information available on donors. Depending on the clinic there are some differences in the policies of the information that is provided. In most cases you will not be able to know the donor’s name. Sometimes there are photos available either of the donor or of her children just to give you a glimpse of what you might expect in terms of the physical appearance of your future child. There are of course some possibilities to request some more data like height, weight, age and skin colour. In some cases you can look into the donor’s education and profession. But this all depends on the laws of the specific country. There were some cases where the anonymous donor suddenly had claims about her rights to the child. However, do not worry. These are matters regulated not only by your agreement with the donor, but also by the most common legislation concerning egg donations and infertility treatment procedures. Your information is confidential and it will not be available to the donor. Again depending on the clinic the donor has the possibility to know if their donation resulted in a successful pregnancy.
Here are some important things about non-anonymous and anonymous donors you should remember:
- Although the donor is anonymous and you are entitled to decide whether the child knows their origins or not, you have to remember that they have the right to find out how they were conceived.
- Remember there might be a situation where the donor’s blood is needed for the child in case of some accident or emergency. So it is a very good idea to establish some kind of relationship with the donor so she could help in such situations. The best case scenario is to choose a donor with the same blood type as yours. This way you avoid problems in the future.
- Keep in mind that not telling the child of their origins could cause you problems in the future. The child could find out themselves when they turn 18 or they might be informed by someone else.
You might be interested in reading: Anonymous, Non-anonymous, Open or Known Egg Donation Guide
Known egg donor
The legal aspects of choosing a known donor might be a bit blurry. Some couples don’t know what role the donor should play in the child’s life. It is up to you to establish some kind of an agreement on how to make things work between you, the donor and the child. Your name and address is available to the donor. A known donor could be a friend, someone close to your family, someone whom you can trust. It could also be a person chosen by the recipients whom they want to meet face to face (a semi-know donor). If both sides agree, you can exchange phone numbers, emails as well as other personal information you decide to share. You can also arrange a meeting in the future between the donor and the child. You can decide whether you want to send photos from time to time to keep the donor updated. Some information is of course exchanged for medical purposes.
Some people just don’t feel right with receiving eggs from a complete stranger. The fact they know her, gives them piece of mind. Choosing a known donor could have a serious impact on the relationship with this person. If the donor was your sister or maybe a close friend of yours, things could change between you because of that. Think about what role the donor would have in your child’s life. The combination of friendship and genetic connection of your donor and your child could make you feel all sort of emotions. Make sure you have your family or partner’s support to deal with them.
Another matter could be the fact that you probably won’t pay any money to your own donor because she is obviously doing this to help you but maybe there is something else you can do to make her feel appreciated.
Deciding on a non-anonymous or anonymous donor is all up to you. Think about what is important for you and most important what would be the best option for your future child.
We decided to have infertility treatment using anonymous egg donor. I can’t imagine using non-anonymous donor. Somehow it doesn’t sound right to me
I’m 41, my husband is 45. Using donor eggs is now the only option for me. I think we’ll go for anonymous donor..
Known donor might be really problematic in the future …hmm..nope..
Which countries have open id egg or embryo donors?
Hi Amy. Are you asking about non-anonymous donors? In most European countries usually the photo of the donor is not available, except some IVF clinics in Ukraine and Russia. We have e-mailed you with more info.
The UK and the Republic of Ireland have banned the use of anonymous donors.
Hello, Besides the important medicals which trust clinics would check when it comes to donor eggs, Am also concerned about physical attributes so my child does not look/feel like a complete stranger, please could you tell me which countries/IVF clinics would show a recipient a photo of the donor or donor’s child to have an of what the child would look like? I don’t want to know the donor’s name, nor the donor know mine. Thank you.
Hello! Considering adoption of embryos already frozen in Cyprus but obviously donors are anonymous. Realistically, what are the chances of the child finding relatives on a donor registry in later years given there really is no regulations that are actually monitored by Cyprian law?
Hello Selle,
if you decide to go for IVf treatment with anonymous embryo donation, you will have a guarantee that the donor of the embryo remains anonymous. We will e-mail you with more details on that.
I am in the progress of using an anonymous egg and seed donor. I struggle with the fact that the child born will never be able to find out about their genetics. Unfortunately there is no other way to conceive a child due to my low AMH. Is there a possibility that when laws change the anonymosity will be lifted?
Dear Singlemom, you may want to try to have IVF with an open donor in a country where open egg donation is legal, for example Australia, UK or the USA.
Which countries allow sisters to donate eggs? And how are eggs tested for quality?
Russia and Cyprus allow bringing your own egg donor (please check clinics like Intersono or Gynolife).
Hi, I’d like more info on countries that allow you to select the donor and see pictures. Also get more information on intelligence, if possible. Thank you
I’m also looking for where I can see adult pictures/childhood photos of potential egg donors in Europe. I don’t want names or anything. I’m all for anonymity, but photos would be nice. With the war going on in Russia and Ukraine, a place besides these two locations would be ideal.
Hi, I would also be interested in finding out about how and where to find a non-anonymous donor. We are keen for our child to have a connection with their genetic history and would like to have occasional contact with our donor if possible. Although finding your own donor is technically legal in the UK, there don’t seem to be any agencies to help you to do this here, and clinics are not allowed to assist you with finding non-anonymous donors. How do most people find non-anonymous donors? Are there countries where this is easier to do?
Hello Lulubelle,
I know there is 2 agencies in the UK that help you find a non-anonymous donor. Look for Altrui and New Life.
Open donation is possible in Ukraine, Cyprus, Finland, Denmark and recently Portugal has made it legal. Good luck!
Hello, I would like to know about embryo adoption where it is done with left over embryos and where we can have a connection with the family where the embryo came from. Are there any clinics in Europe where such services are available?
Hi, Elly. Thank you for your question about embryo adoption. We have contacted you in a private message.
This answer would also interest me. The only difference is, I really just need to know that the child has the opportunity to make contact with genetic parents when they reach 18 and this is a choice they have. I have really tried to figure this out in Europe and it seems that only the UK has such a set-up. Other countries like Denmark offer double donation where you can select non-anonymous egg and sperm donors. It seems to be far harder to find non-anonymous frozen embryos for adoption. Any feedback will be appreciated.
Rose, we will e-mail you with more information on where to find a non-anonymous egg donor in Europe. Good luck!
I would also be interested in which countries have non anonymous donors embryos in europe. look forward to hearing from you
Hi, you will find non-anonymous egg donors in Ukraine, Cyprus, Finland, Denmark and recently Portugal.
Hi
I am looking for a clinic in India where i get to see the donor profile and photo and I can choose from.
Can you please help
Yes, certainly. Our International Patient Coordinators will e-mail you about possibilities for non-anonymous egg donors.
My partner and I are figuring out if we have my sister as an egg donor, or an anonymous, can you please share with me some literature and advice on pros and cons of each? appreciate it!
Looking for 5 things, not necessarily in one clinic, but would like to see options. All preferably in Europe (if there are at all):
1- Non-anonymous sperm donor clinics.
2-Know sperm donor cinics (“bring your own”).
3- Clinics working with undetectable HIV-positive-virusload known donors (“bring your own”).
4-Clinics working with non-anonymous egg-donors (“bring your own”).
5-Clinics working with all these.
Hello,
thank you for your inquiry. We will gather the information and get back to you via e-mail with all the details.
Hello
We are a same sex couple and we are starting the IVF process in a clinic in Cyprus this October. Originally the clinic said they would ask egg donors for photos, but now they say it’s not possible. We would like to find egg donors where we could see at least a photo of them.
I need to know costs and how does it work logistically wise. Is it allowed to transport egg from country to country? Is it more expensive to move the eggs around instead of sending the egg donor for egg collection in Cyprus?
Please give us as much info as possible about open egg donors.
The clinic in Cyprus said they can get egg donors from all over the world, but I find it hard to believe. Do you think they are likely to be all Cypriot egg donors?
Many thanks
Hi, I would like to know clinic with open egg/ embryo donation in Europe and what is the process? can I transfer these eggs to other country?
Hi there,
I’m wondering if you can help me with regard to egg donation clinics in Portugal? You don’t seem to feature them within your website. The reason I’m interested in Portugal is due to the legislation around non anonymous donors and that consent is given at the age of 18 to allow contact. There are such mixed reviews on Google with all the clinics and I’m struggling trying to find one with a good bank of donors and one that has good reviews when dealing with foregin patients. If you can help guide me in any way I’m really appreciate it. Thank you.
We are looking for an open egg donor in Cyprus. Could you help us? In which numberphone/email do we have to contact?
Thanks a lot! :)
Salve.Vorrei conoscere un elenco dove la donatrice non sia anonima.È possibile?
I’m looking for the following:
– A clinic that allows me to choose both the sperm and egg donor based on adult photos and profiles (even for an additional charge)
Or embryo donation where I get both photos and information regarding the donors
– A clinic that would allow surrogacy – a relative will be carrying my child – altruistic/no payment.
Hello,
I am a single woman, aged 44, who would like to make a double donation IFV. Are there currently some clinics in Europe or abroad which allow to choose your egg and sperm donors while having some information (physical and medical characteristics, age, professional situation..) and, most of all, at least one picture of both donors ?
I thank you in advance for your answer.
Best regards