Looking into DE abroad...help please

[wouldleavehomeforIdrisElba]

So my DH have come to the end of our natural road for ttc using my own eggs. We always new this was a possibility and whilst at the beginning of our journey over 4 years ago, I probably wouldn't have considered using an egg donor, the goalposts have definately moved.

I'm in my 40's now, my eggs are passed it. We had a long discussion with our wonderful consultant in November and we were contacted this week by the area egg donation co-ordinator.

I was shocked to find that without a known donor there is no chance of finding a donor here in NI. So, faced with the time limit (I have to draw the line somewhere and need o do this within the next year) she advised us to seek help using an overseas clinic.

I wonder if any of you ladies who have used a donor would be kind enough to share your experiences (either here or in a PM). I'm really interested in finding out which clinics in which countries you recommend and the overall cost involved. Money is a horrible subject but I guess its best to have all the facts.

Hello. I think you're likely to find more information on the Fertility Friends forum. There is a board for egg donation and lots of people go abroad.

One important thing to note is that in most other countries egg and sperm donation is anonymous so any child wouldn't be able to trace the donor. Some people prefer that but it was a key reason we wanted to stay in the UK.

We are in London and stayed with the clinic where I'd had IVF before with my own eggs (unsuccessful). They told me their egg donor waiting list was a year and instead we used an agency where there was no waiting list (but there was an agency fee so it increased our costs). I am now 8 weeks pregnant.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Hi

This is also something that I've been looking into recently. The good news is that there are several clinics in the UK with no or very short waiting lists (eg, CARE Nottingham and others in the CARE group). You can also do egg sharing at those clinics if you prefer, which speeds up the process even more. As Marmot says, if you use a UK clinic you will have a 'traceable' donor, which is something you may want for your child in the future. That's what we've decided to do.

Alternatively there are loads of clinics abroad who offer donor egg treatment, usually at a lower cost than in the UK. Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Czech Republic are all popular options. Fertility Friends has the best info.

Good luck!