IVF with donor eggs is one of the most complex and expensive assisted reproduction treatments due to the technology and the process for the donor egg.
However, the cost of oocyte donation can vary greatly depending on the fertility clinic where it is performed and the services included. In addition, another factor that can generate differences in the price of this fertility treatment is whether the egg donation is exclusive or shared.
Therefore, it is essential that all patients who are going to undergo ovodonation request a personalized quote at the clinic where the fertility treatment is to be performed and know exactly what is included in the price.
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How much does an egg donation cost in Spain?
Currently, the price of in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs in Spain ranges from 4,000 to 9,000 euros depending on the fertility clinic where it is performed and the tests that are included in the budget.
This reproductive option is recommended for those patients who wish to become mothers and it is not possible to use their own eggs. These situations include women with advanced age, low or no ovarian reserve, functional problems in the ovaries and genetic alterations, among other reasons.
However, ovodonation is a fertility treatment that is difficult for patients to assimilate, since it involves giving up the genetic load.
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.
If you are interested in the process of ovodonation, you can visit the following article: How is the process of IVF with donor eggs?
What services are included?
As we have already mentioned, the price of IVF with oocyte donation may vary among fertility clinics depending on the services included. Therefore, it is important that patients inform themselves in advance to avoid surprises when it comes to paying for treatment.
Typically, the services that are included in the donor egg IVF budget of most fertility clinics are discussed below:
- Ultrasound controls and follow-up of the recipient throughout the treatment.
- Hormone analysis for the recipient.
- Expenses generated by the egg donor, i.e. costs of medication, puncture and financial compensation.
- Sperm sample processing.
- Fertilization, although there will be differences depending on whether it is performed conventionally or by intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI).
- First embryo transfer.
- Pregnancy test.
However, complementary techniques such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), endometrial receptivity test, sperm freezing, embryo culture with Time-Lapse technology, etc. are not usually included in the price of ovodonation. In addition, embryo vitrification and semen analysis may or may not be included in the budget.
What makes egg donation more expensive?
Mainly, the increase in the price of IVF with donor eggs compared to IVF with donor eggs is due to the expenses related to the egg donor herself and the whole process she has to go through. Some of these expenses are as follows:
- Selection of a compatible egg donor.
- Medical and psychological tests of the donor.
- Hormonal medication to produce the development of multiple ovarian follicles.
- Ultrasound and analytical controls during stimulation.
- Donor ovarian puncture.
- Financial compensation for the inconvenience caused during the ovodonation process.
All these phases cost around 3,000 euros, which would be the difference with IVF with the patient's own eggs, which costs approximately 3,500 euros.
Medication for ovarian stimulation
The price of IVF with your own eggs does not include the hormonal medication necessary to stimulate the development of multiple ovarian follicles. The cost of these drugs ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 euros, although it is true that it will depend on the doses required for each woman.
On the contrary, the cost of IVF with ovodonation should include the price of this medication, since it is the fertility clinic itself that provides the drugs for the ovarian stimulation of the donor. Therefore, the egg donor will not have to go and compare the medication on her own, but it is a service included in the recipient's budget.
If you want to learn more about the ovarian stimulation phase, we recommend you to visit the following article: What is ovarian stimulation - Process, medications and symptoms.
Financial compensation for egg donation
The compensation to the egg donor is another aspect that increases the price of egg donation compared to IVF with the donor's own eggs.
The Law on Assisted Reproduction Techniques (Law 14/2006) establishes that egg donation is an altruistic act, for which there is no payment. However, it is true that egg donors receive financial compensation for the inconvenience caused throughout the donation process.
This economic amount is set by the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality taking into account the recommendations of the National Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction. For this, egg donors receive compensation of between 800 and 1,000 euros.
To continue reading more in-depth information on this topic, don't forget to visit the following article: What is the financial compensation for egg donation?
Price according to the type of ovodonation
Although the general price of IVF with oocyte donation is the one we mentioned at the beginning, it is true that it will also depend on the eggs that the patient receives. This means that the recipient has the option of exclusive or shared ovodonation.
The difference between these models of ovodonation and the price of each of them is detailed below.
Exclusive Ovodonation
An IVF treatment with exclusive egg donation is when all the eggs retrieved from a donor are received by the same recipient.
Normally, egg donors usually develop an average of 12-15 eggs, but sometimes this number is lower. For this reason, many Spanish fertility clinics have programs that guarantee a minimum number of eggs for the patient who is going to undergo IVF treatment with oocyte donation.
Exclusive ovodonation costs between 6,500 and 9,000 euros, although the differences between assisted reproduction clinics and the services included must be taken into account. In addition, the price of exclusive egg donation will also vary depending on whether it is performed with fresh or frozen eggs.
Shared egg donation
When you do not want to obtain many embryos or you want to reduce the cost of treatment, some patients choose shared ovodonation. In this case, the eggs extracted from a donor in the ovarian puncture will be distributed among different recipients.
The price of IVF with shared egg donation will vary according to the number of eggs assigned to each patient. Generally, the cost of shared ovodonation is divided into different price ranges:
- 4 Donated eggs
- around 4,000-5,000 euros.
- 6 Donated eggs
- between 4,500 and 6,500 euros.
- 8 Donated eggs
- 6.000-7,500 euros approximately.
Although shared ovodonation means fewer embryos, this does not mean that the possibility of success is diminished. In the end, what we want to achieve is a viable embryo with the capacity to implant in the woman's uterus and to be able to bring a pregnancy to term.
Guaranteed blastocysts
Apart from IVF with exclusive or shared oocyte donation, there are some assisted reproduction clinics that also have blastocyst guarantee programs. The importance of these programs does not lie in the allocation of a number of donor oocytes, but rather the fertility center is responsible for guaranteeing a number of blastocysts.
Generally, most of these guarantee programs offer 1-6 blastocysts per contract, although it will depend on the particular program.
Patients will be able to know in advance the number of embryos they will be able to transfer, which will generate less uncertainty.
In addition, the advantage of guaranteed blastocyst programs is that the number of embryos to be maintained is reduced and the decision about their fate is avoided. Therefore, the option of guaranteed blastocysts is also an alternative to consider depending on the reproductive project.
The price of guaranteed blastocyst programs will depend on the number of embryos contracted.
FAQs from users
Why is egg donation so expensive?
Ovodonation is a process in which a healthy donor is selected, a maximum of 35 years old, who altruistically and anonymously donates her eggs to a patient with similar phenotypic characteristics.
All the aspects involved in this process must be taken into account. On the one hand, the study carried out on the selected donor, which includes general analyses, fertility tests, psychological interview, cognitive level evaluation and genetic tests.
Therefore, ovodonation is a treatment that requires a very high level study of the donors. After having invested a lot of resources, it may happen that some tests cause us to reject the donor.
On the other hand, among those who are considered suitable for egg donation, treatment and controls must be carried out during the treatment, which also entails high costs for the clinic.
Finally, this treatment must be carried out with precision, trying to coordinate donor and recipient and to perform both puncture and transfer at the most appropriate moment. For all these reasons, the costs may be higher than in other treatments.
However, it must be taken into account that the success rate is high, and can exceed 65% per embryo transferred.
What is the approximate cost of medication for an ovodonation?
Endometrial preparation requires the administration of estrogens and progesterone sequentially during the treatment cycle. A complete cycle may require approximately 6 mg/day of estradiol + 800 mg/day of micronized progesterone, which should not be more than 150 euros. However, if pregnancy is achieved, this medication should be extended until the 12th week of gestation.
Does it cost the same if donor sperm is also needed?
No. The price of IVF with ovodonation and the price of IVF with double gamete donation are different.
When donor sperm is also required, the cost of the treatment amounts to about 200-400 euros, money that corresponds to the sperm sample.
However, it is important to note that the price of this fertility treatment may vary depending on the assisted reproduction clinic where it is performed.
What is the price of a donated egg?
Egg donation is an altruistic act for which no money is received, although it is true that egg donors are financially compensated for the inconvenience generated throughout the process.
For this reason, it is not possible to establish the cost of an egg. What is allowed is to know the price of an IVF treatment with donor eggs, which may include a greater or lesser number of eggs.
Is IVF with ovodonation or embryo adoption more expensive?
IVF with donor eggs is a more expensive fertility treatment than embryo adoption.
In embryo adoption, the embryos come from other couples who have undergone reproductive treatments. Therefore, this treatment does not require an extra expense for medication for ovarian stimulation, fertilization or for complementary techniques, since they were paid for by the couple.
Therefore, the price of IVF with ovodonation is usually approximately between 4,000 and 9,000 euros; while embryo adoption is worth around 1,700-3,000 euros.
Suggested for you
IVF with donor eggs has high success rates compared to other reproductive treatments. If you want more detailed information about the success of this treatment, you can continue reading the following article: Ovodonation success rates: What are the chances of pregnancy?
If you are not sure that the treatment chosen for your case is oocyte donation and you want to know the price of other fertility treatments, we recommend that you continue reading here: What is the price of assisted reproduction treatments?
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References
Buenaventura Coroleu, Montserrat Boada y Pedro N. Barri (2010). La reproducción asistida en el siglo XXI, Servicio de Medicina de la Reproducción. En: Ventana a otras especialidades, GH CONTINUADA. noviembre-diciembre 2010. Vol. 9 N.º 6. Departamento de Obstetricia, Ginecología y Reproducción. USP-Institut Universitari Dexeus. Barcelona. España.
Sociedad Española de la Fertilidad (SEF). Libro Blanco Sociosanitario. La Infertilidad en España Situación Actual y Perspectivas. Imago Concept & Image Development 2011.
FAQs from users: 'Why is egg donation so expensive?', 'What is the approximate cost of medication for an ovodonation?', 'Does it cost the same if donor sperm is also needed?', 'What is the price of a donated egg?' and 'Is IVF with ovodonation or embryo adoption more expensive?'.
