Egg and sperm donation
Thanks to an altruistic gesture such as donation, many couples and single mothers fulfil a dream that would be impossible otherwise.
How we select our donors
Neither the donor nor the recipient know each other’s identities. In Spain, donation is anonymous by law.
Matching (or donor assignment)
Although it is not an organ, egg donation falls within the legislation on organ donation. Spain has been leading the European ranking for over 25 years.
The fact that our clinic is located in Barcelona, a cosmopolitan city, with inhabitants from all over the world, makes it easier to assign the right donor to each patient.The clinical histories of each donor include photographs, anthropometric data and blood group. In this way, we make a personalized assignment, based on their physical characteristics. We prioritize the resemblance between the donor and the recipient and/or her partner, if she has one.Whenever possible, we assign donors that have a matching blood group, that is, those groups that are possible from a biological point of view after combining two blood groups.
The law
Egg donation is regulated by Law 14/2006 of May 26 on Assisted Human Reproduction techniques, by Royal Decree 412/1996 of March 1, and by Royal Decree Law 9/2014 of July 4, which establish that gamete donation in Spain is voluntary, anonymous and altruistic. This legal text provides compensation to cover the expenses and possible inconveniences arising from such an action.
Characteristics
Donors are women between 18 and 34 years of age, in a good state of psychophysical health, and have full decision-making capacity. At Eugin, 70% of them are single and 52% have secondary and higher-education studies.
Process
In just 6 steps donors can help other people achieve their dream and change their life.
First interview
In a personal interview, we check on the donor’s medical, family and personal history. We also see that their weight, height and blood pressure are within normal standards.
Medical check
The doctor does a thorough medical check-up to verify that the donor is in good health, as well as a gynaecological examination to rule out sexually transmitted diseases. The following medical tests are done:
• General blood test and liver, kidney and coagulation tests.
• Serological study to rule out sexually transmitted diseases. The serological tests are adapted to the donors’ characteristics.
• Cervical cytology and uro-genital cultures to rule out sexually transmitted diseases.
• Gynaecological ultrasound and clinical breast exam.
• Abnormal haemoglobin test to detect possible carriers of hereditary anaemia.
Genetic study
We conduct a karyotype and a test for rare genetic diseases, some of which will be grounds for exclusion from the donation programme as well as other valuable information to do the genetic matching.
Psychological assessment
Through a personal in-depth interview, psychiatric and psychological disorders or inappropriate behavioural habits are ruled out.
Treatment
Only 1 in 3 women who ask to be donors meets all the requirements to do so. The donor is monitored at all times and receives personalized treatment, to ensure her well-being. She can continue her life as normal.
Donation
It is done in the clinic, with all the necessary safety and well-being guarantees for the donor. The eggs are sent to the laboratory, where they are prepared for use.
First interview
In a personal interview, we check on the donor’s medical, family and personal history. We also see that their weight, height and blood pressure are within normal standards.
Medical check
The doctor does a thorough medical check-up to verify that the donor is in good health, as well as a gynaecological examination to rule out sexually transmitted diseases. The following medical tests are done:
• General blood test and liver, kidney and coagulation tests.
• Serological study to rule out sexually transmitted diseases. The serological tests are adapted to the donors’ characteristics.
• Cervical cytology and uro-genital cultures to rule out sexually transmitted diseases.
• Gynaecological ultrasound and clinical breast exam.
• Abnormal haemoglobin test to detect possible carriers of hereditary anaemia.
Genetic study
We conduct a karyotype and a test for rare genetic diseases, some of which will be grounds for exclusion from the donation programme as well as other valuable information to do the genetic matching.
Psychologica assessment
Through a personal in-depth interview, psychiatric and psychological disorders or inappropriate behavioural habits are ruled out.
Treatment
Only 1 in 3 women who ask to be donors meets all the requirements to do so. The donor is monitored at all times and receives personalized treatment, to ensure her well-being. She can continue her life as normal.
Donation
It is done in the clinic, with all the necessary safety and well-being guarantees for the donor. The eggs are sent to the laboratory, where they are prepared for use.
Detection of rare diseases in donors
With this test, we reduce the risk of the baby inheriting serious genetic diseases from the donor and the father. Eugin was the first Assisted Reproduction Centre in Europe to apply a screening test for rare diseases to its donors in a systematic way.
Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile X Syndrome and as many as 300 serious genetic diseases can be avoided in babies born by Assisted Reproduction.
At Eugin, we do 10% of the egg donation treatments that are carried out in Europe.
This test, which is carried out by means of a blood sample, allows us to detect all egg donors that are carriers of a genetic disease of the 300 identified. Currently, most people are carriers of a genetic disease without knowing it: even though they are carriers, they will not develop the disease. In fact, 4 out of 100 couples run the risk of passing on one of these diseases to their children.
Serious genetic diseases,
in the spotlight
“The inherited genetic diseases to which we refer have a serious prognosis and, in many cases, the child does not overcome them,” says Dr. Rita Vassena, our Scientific Director at Eugin Clinic. “Our goal is to have healthy children born through Assisted Reproduction.”
In Spain, 1 out of every 100 babies suffers from a hereditary genetic disease. “These pathologies have a significant impact on the baby’s life expectancy and quality of life, and are a drama for the family,” she concludes.
Sperm donors
Sperm donation is an altruistic and anonymous act in Spain. The donors are young men who undergo thorough medical and psychological checks. Once completed, only 10% of the candidates are retained. The techniques for which we use this sperm are: Artificial Insemination with donor sperm, In Vitro Fertilization with donor sperm .
Sperm donation has two kinds of recipients:
Women without a male partner
Women with a male partner, whose sperm is non-viable
The techniques in which we use this sperm are:
Do you have any doubts?
It’s perfectly normal to have doubts. If you need any
more information, please contact our team.
Do you have any doubts?
It’s perfectly normal to have doubts. If you need any more information, please contact our team.