Egg Donation in Spain – Legal Aspects, Requirements & Cost

By (fertility counselor) and (embryologist).
Last Update: 06/28/2018

Most patients from abroad come to Spain for IVF with donor eggs. The wide range of private fertility clinics, along with the quality of their facilities, the number of experts, and the costs are the main reasons why international patients choose Spain.

Under Spanish Law, single women, heterosexual couples, and same-sex couples can undergo fertility treatment. Since egg donation is anonymous, there are many egg and sperm donors available and practically no waiting lists. This is the main reason why international patients decide to pursue egg donation in Spain.

The cost of IVF using donor eggs ranges between €4,500 and €9,000 based on the fertility clinic, the geographical location and the particularities of each case. Moreover, the cost of fertility medications is rarely included.

How does egg donation work in Spain?

Both altruism and anonymity are two of the main features that differentiate the egg donation process in Spain. In fact, these are the reasons why a broad range of foreign patients travel to Spain in the pursuit of a fertility treatment that allows them to become parents.

By anonymous we refer to the fact that neither patients nor donors have access to each other's identity, something that encourages young women to become egg donors, with the subsequent increase in the number of candidates and the overall chances of finding the ideal donor for each recipient.

Even though it is an altruistic act of solidarity above all, donors get an economic compensation. Although it is not too high, it is an additional motivation for girls to offer themselves as prospective egg donors.

In addition to these two main features, there exist two more aspects that should be borne in mind as well:

  • Egg donor selection: the selection and matching of a donor to a recipient is carried out by fertility experts based her physical and immunological characteristics.
  • Recipient age: even though the Spanish Law does not establish any age limit for recipients, Spanish clinics have reached an agreement whereby women over 50 are not accepted in egg donation programs.

It should be noted that a maximum of three embryos are allowed to be transferred under Spanish Law.

Spanish Law on egg donation

The Spanish Assisted Human Reproduction Act (henceforth, LAHRT) establishes that egg donation is a completely anonymous and altruistic process. Nevertheless, egg donors can get an economic compensation for their effort and the different risks associated.

The Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality, according to the guidelines provided by the National Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction, has established a fixed amount of between €800 and €1,000 as the maximum financial compensation for egg donors.

As regards the anonymity requirement, it must be full and permanent. However, the Act establishes that donor-conceived children are allowed to request general information about their donor as long as the identity of the donor remains undisclosed.

Requirements for egg donors

First of all, donors must be medically pre-screened to make sure that she is healthy. Her family history will be reviewed as well. In case there is evidence of genetic diseases or abnormalities, she will not be accepted into the program. This is the reason why potential egg donors cannot be adopted, as having access to her family history is a requirement.

According to the LAHRT, every woman wishing to become an egg donor in Spain must meet the following basic requirements:

  • To be physically and mentally healthy
  • To be aged between 18 and 35 years
  • To have a normal ovarian reserve
  • To have a normal ovulatory function
  • To be free free from malformations as well as genetic and congenital diseases

Last but not least, it should be taken into account that donors cannot conceive more than 6 children of their own, including own children and children born as a result of donations. In any case, having children is considered an advantage, since it proves the fertility potential of the donor as well as the absence of severe genetic diseases.

Cost

The cost of IVF using donor eggs in Spain ranges between €4,500 and €9,000, depending on the fertility clinic chosen, geographical location, and particularities of each particular case. This increased price if compared to IVF with own eggs is due to the expenses associated with the donor, including:

  • Medications
  • Medical and psychological screening
  • Ultrasound monitoring
  • Financial compensation

The recipient woman has to self-administer a series of fertility drugs to prepare the endometrium prior to the embryo transfer. Typically, medications are not included in initial quotation. The cost ranges between €200 and €300. Conversely, medications for the donor are commonly included in the price.

IVF with donor eggs is probably the most confusing of all fertility treatments, and oftentimes, a misleading one. Transparency is one of our strict selection criteria when it comes to recommending fertility clinics to our readers. You can create your Fertility Report now to filter clinics based on our selection criteria and get an individual report based on your preferences with answers to your queries and most importantly, to prevent potential frauds.

Egg sharing

Some clinics offer cost-cutting options to help you save on your DE-IVF cycle, such as egg sharing or shared egg donation. Instead of using an exclusive egg donor, you can share the same donor with other recipients, which reduces the overall cost of the treatment.

In exclusive egg donor cycles, fertility clinics guarantee between 6 and 12 eggs to each recipient. With the egg sharing option, each recipient gets 3-5 mature eggs from a single donor.

In short, egg sharing allows you to reduce the cost of IVF with donor eggs. However, the chances of getting pregnant are lower with this option. The cost of shared-donor IVF can range from €2,500 to €5,000 approximately.

FAQs from users

Who can receive donor eggs in Spain?

By Andrea Rodrigo B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist).

Under Spanish Law, both couples (opposite-sex and same-sex) and single women can use donor eggs in their IVF cycle.

What are the success rates of egg donation in Spain?

By Andrea Rodrigo B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist).

The Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) is the scientific body that audits the results submitted by clinics. It is estimated that around 60% of IVF clinics in Spain submit their results to the SEF.

According to the results published by the SEF back in 2014, the success rates using fresh donor eggs reach 55.9% per cycle, whilst the birth rate is 36.4% on average. With frozen eggs, these rates are 39.7% and 24.7%, respectively.

If I use donor eggs, will the baby look like me?

By Rebeca Reus BSc, MSc (embryologist).

When matching an egg donor to a recipient, fertility clinics take into account that there is compatibility between them and that they share as many phenotype and immunological characteristics as possible. So, theoretically, yes, a baby conceived with donor eggs is likely to look like the birth mother.

However, it is important to note that the biological mother of the baby will be the egg donor, so in terms of genetic inheritance, the answer to this questions is no, the baby will not look like the recipient, since he or she does not share the genetic load with her.

Who will the baby look like in cases of egg donation?

By Rebeca Reus BSc, MSc (embryologist).

Fertility clinics make sure that egg donors share similar physical characteristics with the recipient, so that they resemble the future child in spite of not sharing their DNA with him or her, and the same applies in cases where donor sperm is used. If the baby is conceived using your partner's or husband's sperm, then he or she will resemble him as well.

Suggested for you

Egg donation is the most sought-after fertility treatment by foreign people who decide to seek fertility care in Spain. However, Spain is popular for the high-quality range of fertility treatments available in private clinics. To get more info, we recommend that you visit this post next: Assisted Reproduction in Spain - Everything You Should Know.

If you want to learn more on the egg donor selection process in Spain, do not miss the following guide: How Are Egg Donors Selected in Spain?

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References

Authors and contributors

 Sandra Fernández
Sandra Fernández
B.A., M.A.
Fertility Counselor
Bachelor of Arts in Translation and Interpreting (English, Spanish, Catalan, German) from the University of Valencia (UV) and Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus (Edinburgh, UK). Postgraduate Course in Legal Translation from the University of Valencia. Specialist in Medical Translation, with several years of experience in the field of Assisted Reproduction. More information about Sandra Fernández
 Zaira Salvador
Zaira Salvador
B.Sc., M.Sc.
Embryologist
Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Valencia (UPV). Biotechnology Degree from the National University of Ireland en Galway (NUIG) and embryologist specializing in Assisted Reproduction, with a Master's Degree in Biotechnology of Human Reproduction from the University of Valencia (UV) and the Valencian Infertility Institute (IVI) More information about Zaira Salvador
License: 3185-CV

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