Using an egg donation to realise your dream of being a parent isn’t the easiest way. However, if you arrive at this option for you and your partner to get pregnant, you must understand the egg donation process in Australia.
Egg donation in Australia is challenging because paying donors for their egg donation is illegal. Finding someone happy to donate her eggs and provide the chance to build your family for you can be complicated. Some fertility centres have partnerships with international donor banks, which could solve your problem if you can’t find a donor yourself. This post will help you better understand the egg donation process in Australia.
Egg donor
Egg donors will be offering services without monetary compensation. For this, they must be selfless and understanding. There is no other requirement to be an egg donor. However, it would be best to process a general exam checking genetic, blood, and psychological backgrounds. You can decide to ask friends or family, or you may be more at ease to choose a stranger from a door bank. This choice is intimate, and only you and your partner can make it.
Egg donation benefit
On your way to get pregnant, you have encountered difficulty, maybe because your eggs were not viable or your ovarian reserve was too low. Women with egg problems will likely be directed to egg donation to give them a chance to get pregnant and carry their child. Even if eggs aren’t viable, the rest of their reproductive system may still be able to carry a baby to term. It is luck to still grow life inside their uterus and bond with their child.
Egg donation process in Australia step-by-step
- Schedule an appointment with your fertility specialist for you and your partner and your egg donor if you already have one.
- The medical team will do a fertility test to ensure the proper use of egg donation. The potential donor could be tested to understand their genetic, blood and psychological states.
- Meet with your fertility specialist to elaborate on a fertility plan, and discuss all options, steps, and answer your questions before starting any procedures.
- All parties must conduct a counselling session with an in-house counsellor per Australian legal requirements. Egg donors and receivers will get detailed information about the process, legal aspects and potential emotional implications.
- All pre-fertility testing and legal requirements are now met so the donor can begin their egg donation cycle. It means they will be in contact with the fertility clinic of their receiver and must get an appointment on the first day of their menstrual cycle. Treatment and monitoring will be planned for them so the egg donation goes smoothly.
- After a successful egg extraction from the donor, eggs can be fertilised and frozen or only frozen, depending on the first agreement made by the patients.
- The couple will process egg implantation at the right time of the carrier’s cycle.
If you are receiving eggs from a donor bank, steps 1,2,3 and 4 remain the same, and then:
- The patient will have access to donor banks and can choose their donor and notify the donor coordinator to formalise the purchase and shipping of eggs.
- The donor coordinator and embryologists receive eggs, discuss fertilisation and freeze and follow the plan as agreed.
- The couple processes the embryo transfer cycle when ready.
Egg donations in Australia are subject to different laws and regulations in each state. In NSW, you must register information about donors and children born from the donation in the Health Department Central Register. Once the child conceived using donated gametes turns 18, they can access certain information on the Register.
