Egg Donation in South Africa
All the answers you need about donating eggs in South Africa
Like the millions of people who donate blood and organs each year to save the lives of people they will never meet, and the almost 1 billion people who volunteer their time annually to make the world a better place, there are thousands of amazing and caring women who are willing to donate eggs so that another woman can experience the joy of having a baby.
If you are one of these amazing and caring women willing to donate eggs, you will likely have many questions about the process and the possible risks. Here are the answers you need to make an informed choice about donating eggs and making it possible for another woman, who is longing to have a child, to become pregnant.
What is Egg Donation?
Egg donation is the process by which a woman donates eggs which will enable another woman to conceive. Much like donating blood or volunteering, it is a selfless act of giving to someone you will never know. In South Africa, egg donation is anonymous by law and the identities of both the donors and the recipients are protected.
An egg donor donates approximately 10 to 20 eggs, which she does not need, to another woman who is unable to produce healthy eggs from her own ovaries to conceive a child.
The donated eggs are used as part of assisted reproduction treatment, such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), for women who unable to conceive because their own eggs are of poor quality. In this process, the donated eggs are fertilised with sperm from the recipient’s partner “in vitro” – which literally means “in a glass container” – by specialists in an advanced laboratory. The resulting embryo/s are then transferred into the recipient’s uterus, giving her a chance to conceive, and – if the embryo attaches in her uterus and she can successfully carry the pregnancy to term – to give birth to a child of her own. Eggs donated by young healthy women makes this possible.
Since the first pregnancy through egg donation was achieved in South Africa in 1986, just two years after the world’s first pregnancy through egg donation in Australia, egg donation has become a routine treatment at fertility clinics around the world.
Over the last 30 years, egg donation has provided thousands of infertile couples, for whom adoption was previously the only option, a way to have their own child.
The last three decades have also seen many advances in the medical technology that facilitates egg donation, as well as in the legal framework for egg donation across the world. In South Africa, egg donation is legal and regulated by The National Health Act of 2004.
Why is Egg Donation Necessary?
Thousands of women around the world struggle to fall pregnant with their own eggs, which are of poor quality for various reasons. It may be that a woman’s ovaries have been removed surgically or are not functioning as a result of, for example, chemotherapy. It may be that a woman is menopausal or has a poor ovarian reserve, is not responding to the drugs used in IVF treatment, or is not falling pregnant after repeated IVF treatments.
Previously, these women’s options were limited to adoption, but for the last 30 years, egg donations from caring and selfless healthy young women have given them an opportunity to become pregnant with their own babies. Thanks to modern technology, Cape Fertility Clinic’s pregnancy rates with egg donation are 60 – 70% per cycle.
There are fewer egg donors than couples who need eggs to achieve their dream of becoming pregnant. Through egg donor programs such as our premium Cape Fertility Egg Donor Program, young healthy women can make a difference helping other women to become pregnant with donated eggs.
Who Can Donate Eggs?
Egg donation is legal in South Africa. It is also good to know that South Africa has amongst the best egg donation laws in the world that protects you – the donor, as well as the recipient. Cape Fertility Clinic is a leader in the legal and ethical requirements, as set out by both the Department of Health and South African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy (SASREG).
Our Donor Program is open to young healthy women of all ethnic backgrounds between the ages of 21 and 33 years of age. The National Health Act (2003) states that a donor is allowed to donate a maximum of six times.
We accept donors from all regions in South Africa. When you are selected to donate, you will be required to make one or two trips to beautiful Cape Town – all your travel and accommodation arrangements will be explained to you and all your expenses will be covered.
Where Can I Donate Eggs?
As a potential egg donor, it is extremely important that you be assured that the clinic at which you donate is a world-class medical facility, dedicated to your care and medical safety.
Cape Fertility Clinic is one of the largest and most reputable fertility clinics in South Africa. Your care is our priority and attention to your medical safety during the donation process is our primary concern when you donate through our premium Cape Fertility Egg Donor Program.
We have been leading the way in egg donation since 1993 and for the last 26 years we have worked with thousands of egg donors in a friendly, relaxed and caring environment at our advanced, purpose-built facilities in the beautiful city of Cape Town.
You could also donate through an egg donor agency. These agencies assist various fertility clinics by recruiting egg donors to donate at these different clinics across South Africa, which means you may end up donating at any one of South Africa’s fertility clinics. If you decide to work through an agency, always make sure that you only work with agencies that follow the SASREG ethical guidelines.
By joining the Cape Fertility Egg Donor Program, you join the medical facility directly without going through an egg donor agency. It means you are assured that you are donating eggs at a leading South African fertility clinic, where you can expect dedicated one-on-one attention – including face-to-face consultations with our experienced specialist team members – to make your egg donation in the beautiful city of Cape Town a positive experience.
If you don’t live in Cape Town, it is not a problem – all your travel and accommodation arrangements will be explained to you and all your expenses will be covered.
How Does the Egg Donation Process Work?
Egg donation is a 7-step process. Our team at Cape Fertility Clinic is there with you, supporting you, throughout your entire egg donation process, as well as after your egg donation is completed.
Step 1
Your journey starts with applying to become an egg donor by simply filling in your contact details here, or contacting our Egg Donor Fairy God Mother, Linda, on 066 22 55 003 or linda@capefertility.co.za. Your information is 100% confidential and will under no circumstances be made available to anybody else.
Linda has many years of experience supporting egg donors and a wealth of information to share and will answer your questions and guide you further in giving the gift of a lifetime.
Step 2
Complete a confidential medical questionnaire to ascertain your suitability as an egg donor.
Step 3
If your medical questionnaire confirms your suitability to donate eggs, Linda will assist you in completing an Egg Donor Profile.
Step 4
Your profile is added to Cape Fertility’s world-class and secure database of egg donors from which moms-to-be can select their match.
Step 5
Once your profile has been selected by a donor, you will be required to attend a 2-hour appointment to see one of our fertility specialists and our psychologist.
Step 6
The next step is to complete an egg donation cycle. You can click here to read all about the process and what it entails…
Step 7
After your egg donation experience, you can decide whether you would like to remain available for another donation. By law you may donate up to six times.
Your first step to becoming an egg donor in South Africa
If you are willing to donate eggs to help another woman fulfil her dream of having her own baby, you will be pleased to know that the first step is as simple as contacting us.
Simply fill in your contact details here, or contact our Egg Donor Fairy God Mother, Linda, on 066 22 55 003 or linda@capefertility.co.za. Your information is 100% confidential and will under no circumstances be made available to anybody else.
Linda has many years of experience supporting egg donors and a wealth of information to share and will answer your questions and guide you further in giving the gift of a lifetime. In addition, our team at Cape Fertility Clinic is there with you, supporting you, throughout your entire egg donation process, as well as after your egg donation is completed.
We look forward to welcoming you to our friendly, professional and leading Fertility Clinic and Egg Donor Program!