Become an egg cell donor – You have the power to help

Egg donation is a form of support for infertile couples who are trying to have offspring. For many of them, using material from an anonymous donor in an IVF procedure is their only chance to conceive a child. In the donation programme, a donor donates an egg to a female recipient who has no or not enough egg cells of her own or whose egg cells, for genetic reasons, cannot be used for fertilisation. It is an extraordinary gift that allows couples to enjoy their pregnancy and experience the joy of parenthood.

We run qualifications for the Egg Donation Programme at our Clinics in Gdańsk, Gdynia, Słupsk, Warsaw, Wrocław and Bydgoszcz. The cell collection procedure itself is performed in Gdańsk, Warsaw and Wrocław.

The process of qualifying egg donors is a multi-step process designed to provide the highest possible level of safety to both the donor and the recipient. First, a potential egg donor fills out a medical questionnaire. The questionnaire covers issues related to the donor’s health, medical history and genetic history. If the basic medical criteria are met, we perform hormonal tests to check the patient’s fertility, which are followed by pathogenicity tests and specialised genetic tests. There have been situations in the past where a young woman who had signed up for an honorary donation programme learned at that stage that she had a low ovarian reserve herself and she needed to speed up her own decision to have offspring. This is an additional benefit of taking part in such a qualification – women who might have difficulty getting pregnant in the future are informed about their health before it is too late. After a relevant laboratory diagnosis is performed and a consultation with the doctor is made, the next step is to meet with a psychologist. This is one of the most important stages of the qualification – the interview with a specialist is aimed at ruling out any potential mental disorders and verifying the emotional maturity of the donor. During the meeting, she can learn more about the possible consequences of participating in the programme, reflect on her motivations and reactions to potential situations in the future, and make a fully informed decision.

When at the Clinic, the future donors must undergo a qualification process that includes both medical and psychological aspects. Eligibility criteria have been prepared based on international guidelines and good practices of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Polish standards published by the Polish Society of Reproductive Medicine (PTMR), as well as the directives of the European Union. A woman wishing to donate her eggs must be between the ages of 18 and 32, be in good health, have an adequate ovarian reserve, and have no addictions. We must also rule out that she is a carrier of genetic diseases, neurological and mental disorders and diseases, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and infections. In order to donate egg cells, the donor must undergo a series of laboratory tests. These tests include a blood group test, blood count, lipoprotein profile, ALT, AST, urinalysis, infection tests for HBV, HCV, HIV, rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia trachomatis, gonorrhea, genetic tests (karyotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes) and hormonal tests.

The donor receives a lump sum reimbursement (at a fixed value) for the costs associated with participating in the donation process. This is compensation for the time spent, as well as for possible expenses related to, e.g. travelling to the Clinic, hiring a babysitter, taking sick leave, etc.

The lump sum reimbursement is paid after the programme is completed and the eggs have been donated to infertile couples. It is not disbursed if the woman does not qualify for the programme or if the programme is discontinued due to donor resignation or medical factors. However, it is worth remembering that as part of the process, we provide donors with comprehensive specialist support and a range of laboratory tests, the results of which are handed over to the woman. Diagnostics, appointments and consultations are free of charge to the potential candidate (costs are incurred by the Clinic) and create additional value for her.

All visits, examinations (imaging, laboratory tests), consultations and medications used in the process are free of charge for the egg donor. The donation programme carries no financial risk for the women who participate in it.

The entire process lasts from 4 to more than 10 weeks, and the first 2 to 3 weeks are part of the qualification process. The qualification requires one or two visits to the Clinic, test results, and consulting a psychologist and a gynaecologist. Each time, the staff makes every effort to organise the qualification in an optimal way and without burdening the potential donor. After the entire process has been successfully completed, the date for taking further steps (hormonal stimulation, procedure) is arranged individually, depending on the type of treatment in which the material from the donor is to be used.

A woman who is considering egg cell donation cannot breastfeed during the qualification and subsequent stimulation. It is assumed that the period following the birth should be at least 6 months, although it is generally recommended that the patient waits about a year before joining the programme.

Qualification for the programme does not require the discontinuation of contraceptives. In subsequent stages of the programme, starting from the stimulation stage onward, it is the doctor who gives recommendations regarding all medications to be taken.

This is not a contraindication, provided that the IUD is functional and not hormonal. A hormonal IUD would have to be removed for the programme.

A woman interested in donating her eggs to couples should fill out a short preliminary questionnaire. If you qualify, you need to create an account and log in through medipoint.pl. In the following step, please complete and send a medical questionnaire available in the ‘My questionnaires’ tab – it is important that you answer all the questions.

The qualification process is comprehensive and well thought-out, so any possible side effects associated with the donation process are kept to a minimum. In a small percentage of cases, the administration of ovulation-stimulating drugs may result in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Similarly, in the case of the pick-up procedure – any such action carries a slight degree of risk. However, the patient is under constant care of specialists, who respond if such a need arises and who take appropriate measures to reduce risks. The psychological implications of donation are also important, and therefore every woman who wants to donate her egg cells meets with a psychologist beforehand, discusses any concerns she may have and makes an informed decision.

A comprehensive qualification for the programme also includes a fertility assessment of the potential donor. This makes it possible to exclude the women from the process in whom the stimulation and cell collection procedure could have a negative impact on procreation. In general, fertility should return as early as the first or second cycle after the procedure.

The tests require the collection of a blood sample, which may be linked to slight discomfort. The stage of ovarian stimulation involves taking appropriate medications, while the ‘pick-up’ procedure itself (collection of egg cells) is not complicated or painful. It is performed under general anaesthesia after prior analysis of test results and consultation with an anaesthesiologist. The patient spends only a few hours in the Clinic and does not require hospitalisation afterwards.

If there are no contraindications, the donor begins the stage of hormonal stimulation – due to the administration of appropriate drugs, the donor’s egg cells are stimulated to work more intensively, and more than one egg cell matures in a given cycle. During the so-called stimulation, ultrasound and laboratory tests are performed so that the eggs can be collected at the right moment in the procedure room. The procedure involves puncturing the ovary and collecting fluid from ovarian follicles (Graafian follicles). The follicular fluid contains the egg cells that will be transferred to the recipient couple. The procedure takes place in a properly equipped ward, under ultrasound guidance, under general anaesthesia and with the attendance of an anaesthesiologist. Once the procedure is completed, the woman remains under observation for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Following the egg pick-up procedure, the donor stays in the observation room for a period of about 1.5-2 hours and leaves the Clinic after having been discharged in good general condition. Although it is not a requirement, we recommend that the woman is picked up by someone after the procedure. The anaesthesia may make you feel distracted, so you should not drive for 12–24 hours after the procedure.

The honorary egg donation programme is based on the premise of anonymity, which means that the details of the woman whose material will be used by recipient patients are not disclosed to either the future parents or the child. Recipients can only learn about the donor’s blood type, height, eye and hair colour. Therefore, they have access to information that does not allow them to determine the identity of the woman who donated her eggs. Both parties undergo psychological qualification before making a decision, so they can consider the consequences of the situation and make informed decisions. Then, they confirm their decisions by signing relevant agreements and consents.

With a view to ensuring a high level of safety for donors, INVICTA adheres to EU directives and standards described by medical societies operating at home and abroad. They stipulate that a woman can take part in the programme no more than 6 times. This number is also recommended by the Polish Gynaecological Society. INVICTA also introduces an additional restriction – the egg cells from one donor can be used in the successful treatment of a maximum of 10 couples.

Qualification for the next procedure depends on a number of medical factors. The doctor makes the decision on an individual basis. When joining the programme for the first time, you may immediately express your desire to donate eggs twice. This saves time, as the doctor makes a decision about the next treatment immediately after the first one, and there is no need to fill out the medical questionnaire again and perform some of the tests. Such a decision gives more couples a chance at parenthood. The financial compensation for participating in the programme is also higher.

We appreciate the time spent and the willingness to help of each woman who volunteers for the Honorary Donation Programme. However, the decision to qualify for the subsequent stages is based on objective medical criteria. The data provided by the candidate in the form is verified in detail by a team of doctors at the Infertility Treatment Clinic. This is not a medical diagnosis – the analysis focuses only on the specific needs of egg donation; it is multifaceted and includes cross criteria. Several factors are taken under consideration, including the woman’s health and individual conditions, the possibility of conducting safe stimulation and treatments, as well as obtaining cells with appropriate parameters. The committee, on the basis of a medical questionnaire, determines whether a given person meets the requirements set for donor candidates (these are laid down with reference to the guidelines of international associations and based on the Clinic’s many years of experience). The decision refers only to the issue of donation. We guarantee that all data provided by the donors is properly secured, stored and processed in compliance with the guidelines of the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection, as well as other legal regulations – exclusively for the purposes of the process of qualifying for the programme and the handling of medical records. It will not be shared with or transferred to any external entities without the patient’s consent.

According to Polish law, the mother of a child is the woman who gave birth to it, so in this case, it is the recipient of the eggs. The donor will not be considered the mother of a child born by another woman, even if it has her genetic material.

In Poland, according to the Act of Infertility Treatment of 25 June 2015, egg donation is anonymous. After a person born through an IVF procedure with a donor cell reaches the age of 18, they can make a special request to the Minister of Health to have the data about the donor disclosed, but this data cannot enable donor identification. The data includes the date and place of birth, test results and phenotypic characteristics (such as height, eye colour and blood type).

The bank/clinic should ensure a high level of safety for both the donor and the recipients. If a woman wants to help infertile couples by donating her eggs, she should consider the requirements of the centre of her choice – the tests that will be performed, the specialists that will provide treatment, whether she will have the opportunity to talk to a psychologist, not only a doctor, what kind of documents she will have to sign and whether her rights will be secured. It is also important to check if the recommendations of Polish and international medical organisations are followed and consider the standards followed by the clinic. One should also consider how long the facility has been running its bank, what information it provides to donors and whether it enjoys the trust of patients.

The INVICTA Egg Bank is located in Gdańsk, Warsaw and Wrocław. The Cell Donation Programme is run at Clinics in: Gdańsk, Gdynia, Słupsk, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw and Wrocław. In the case of donors from Słupsk, Gdynia and Bydgoszcz – they can participate in the programme in their nearest facilities – only 2 visits will have to take place in Gdańsk.