How does gamete donation work in Spain?

Donors and legislation

What does Spanish legislation say about gamete donation?

What are the examinations carried out on donors?

What type of treatment do gamete donors follow?

Does the donors ovarian stimulation play any risks on her future fertility?

What does Spanish legislation say about gamete donation?

Egg or semen donation are procedures regulated by Spanish legislation since 1988, therefore guaranteeing, at all times, the ethics of the medical and biological processes involved, as well as the health of both the donors and the embryos produced from the donations.

Gamete donation is voluntary, altruistic and anonymous for patients who need it.

Oocyte donors must be between 18 and 35 years of age.

Semen donors must be between 18 and 50 years of age.

ALTRUISTIC: The commercialization of gametes and embryos is prohibited by Spanish law; the eggs or semen sample must be used exclusively to help a woman to have the baby she wants. The National Human Assisted Reproduction Committee, a body set up in order to advise in the development of the law, advises that donors receive an economic compensation for the dedication and time required to complete the donation.

ANONYMOUS: The law specifies that there must be no contact or knowledge of each other between the donor and the recipient, in the present or the future. This implies that the woman can never meet, see or choose the people who will give her their gametes. The donors sign a contract where they accept giving their gametes to a woman trying to have a baby and that they will never be involved with the future child.

Theoretically, there is no limit to the donations that can be made but the maximum number of children born from one donor is six (including their own children).

What are the examinations carried out on donors?

Both the semen donors and the oocyte donors are selected using a strict medical evaluation. Before being able to give their eggs, the donor must have various tests done to confirm her correct ovarian function and the absence of infectious diseases and genetic problems:

Blood analysis: Serology (Hepatitis B and C, HIV and Syphilis, rubella), blood group determination, a Karyotype test to rule out chromosome anomalies, genetic analysis to rule out carriers of cystic fibrosis and electrophoresis of the haemoglobin to rule out hereditary anaemia.

 Gynaecological examinations: cytology, cervical cultures for Gonococcus and Chlamydia, gynaecological ultrasound.

Interviews, with the doctor to conform the absence of genetical diseases in their personal or family background, with the psychologist to evaluate the mental health of the donor and, with the nursing team, to explain how the treatment will be carried out.

Blood analysis: Serology (Hepatitis B and C, HIV and Syphilis, Chlamydia and Cytomegalovirus), blood group determination, a Karyotype test to rule out chromosome anomalies, a cystic fibrosis study.

Six months after the a sample is frozen, the donor must repeat the serology tests to confirm their negative results and ensure that there was no latent infection present at the time of the donation.

Examination of the sample: seminogram (complete study of the motility, concentration and morphology of the sperm).
Interviews with the doctor to confirm the absence of genetical diseases in their personal or family background and to evaluate the mental health of the donor.

What type of treatment do gamete donors follow?

Clinica EUGIN has its own egg donation programme.

Several visits, prior to the donation cycle: the donor receives detailed information about the donation (finality, legal aspects, tests to be carried out, ovarian stimulation, side effects, obtaining the eggs, type of anaesthet

Stimulation phase: The stimulation is done by means of daily, subcutaneous injections. The

Follicular punction: The follicular punction is carried out under ultrasound control and

Post-punction monitoring: After a check-up, if the donor feels well, they are discharged with post operatory instructions to follow. After 12 hours, they are contacted by telephone to confirm that everything is ok and they are offered round the clock telephone assistance for the next 24 hours. Later, a check-up appointment is scheduled.

The donors do not follow any treatment. They just have to maintain sexual abstinence for 3 to 5 days before the donation.

Does the donors ovarian stimulation play any risks on her future fertility?

Egg donation has no negative effects over the donor’s fertility. In general, a healthy woman counts on about 400.000 eggs in her ovaries from birth (immature forms of future eggs).

Out of those 400.000, only 400 reach maturity with the possibility of being fertilized throughout all there life, number which corresponds to the quantity of ovulation cycles during the woman’s long fertile period (more or less between the ages of 13-45).

The rest simply do not mature, so the ovarian stimulation performed during the egg donation process is nothing more than a way of taking advantage of some of the eggs the woman will never use.

In Eugin Clinic, the donors follow a mild stimulation during the treatment, at low doses, to avoid obtaining an excessive number of eggs, prioritizing quality over quantity, and trying to diminish the possible and occasional side effects (such as bloated sensation, liquid retention or abdominal pains).

Once the egg extraction has taken place, the donor will go back to ovulating normally and will be able to have offspring if desired. There are a large number of donors who have participated in the Eudona program and that have become mothers after the donation. Many of them have returned to egg donation after giving birth.