Is there a greater gift than helping a new life begin? By donating your eggs, you can help someone’s dream of having a child come true.
Hundreds of fertility treatments using donated eggs are carried out in Finland each year – and as many as 70% of all donor egg treatments in Finland are performed at Ovumia. By donating your eggs, you can help someone’s dreams come true. We provide all the support you need, the latest expertise and compassionate care throughout the process.
Egg donation makes pregnancy possible in situations where it would not otherwise be biologically possible. Repeated unsuccessful fertility treatments or the risk of a hereditary disease may mean that donated eggs offer a new path to parenthood.
For the donor, it may be a wish to help, to do something good, or to make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life. Many donors experience egg donation as meaningful and empowering.
You can become an egg donor if you are a healthy woman aged 20–35 and there are no hereditary diseases in your immediate family. You are a suitable donor if you have the desire to help someone else have a child of their own.
Before donation, we will carefully review your health and any factors that may prevent participation.
You can become an egg donor if you are a healthy woman aged 20–35 and there are no hereditary diseases in your immediate family. Before donation, we will carefully review your health and any factors that may prevent participation.
What does this mean for you in practice?
Feeling safe and heard is our top priority throughout the process.
We are looking for healthy women who are 20–35 years old and have no hereditary conditions themselves, and who have no close relatives (parents, siblings or children) with hereditary conditions. We always review any possible obstacles confidentially and individually.
What factors may prevent egg donation?
For example, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, muscular dystrophy, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, haemochromatosis, retinoschisis.
As stated above and additionally, for example, early-onset dementia (at 40–50 years old), two or more close relatives have a structural developmental disorder (such as club foot, hip dislocation, cheilouranoschisis, congenital heart disease).
Such as ADHD or other attention deficit disorder or autism.
Being significantly underweight may prevent the donation of eggs, because the ovaries of a significantly underweight woman may not function normally. The problem with a potential donor who is significantly overweight is that the medication used in the treatment may not work.
Smoking is not allowed during the donation process, because it affects the quality of the eggs.
You cannot donate eggs while pregnant or breastfeeding. After childbirth, you should wait at least 6 months before donating eggs. Before you can donate eggs, your menstrual cycle must have returned and you must have fully stopped breastfeeding.
A donor must be between 20–35 years old.
The first step is completing the form, which helps us assess your suitability as a donor. Once submitted, a nurse will contact you and provide an initial evaluation.
Before being accepted as a donor, you will meet with a nurse who will walk you through the donation process in detail. We will take an AMH blood test, which gives a preliminary indication of your ovarian reserve. If the result is normal, we will book you an appointment with a doctor.
If your blood tests and health screening indicate that you are a suitable donor, you will meet with a doctor. The doctor performs a gynecological examination and uses ultrasound to assess your ovaries and overall fertility. You will receive thorough explanations about the treatment process and potential risks.
You will also receive information about the legal aspects of donation and have the opportunity to ask questions. During the visit, it is often possible to create a treatment plan tailored to your menstrual cycle. At the same time, the consent for gamete donation is signed
Additional blood tests are often taken during this visit.
Your eggs are matured with daily hormone injections for about 10 days, similar to hormone therapy used in IVF. The injection pen is easy to use and our staff will guide you throughout. During stimulation, you will have two ultrasound scans at the clinic.
The eggs are retrieved from the ovaries under ultrasound guidance using a thin needle through the vagina. Local anaesthesia and intravenous pain medication are used during the procedure, and everything is done to make the experience as easy as possible for you. The procedure is quick and usually takes about 10–20 minutes.
After the retrieval, your condition will be monitored at the clinic for about 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the situation and your preferences. A midwife will go through the home care instructions with you before you leave. Because of strong pain medication, driving is not allowed on the day of the procedure. If needed, the doctor can provide sick leave for 1–2 days.
Recovery after egg retrieval is usually quick. However, it is a good idea to avoid strenuous exercise for the next few days. Mild lower abdominal pain for a few days is normal. Your next period usually starts within a week after the retrieval and may be heavier than usual. Our midwife will call you within a few days after the retrieval to make sure your recovery has started well. If needed, you are also welcome to come for a follow-up appointment with a doctor.
According to the Act on Assisted Fertility Treatments, every gamete donor is entered into an official register so that a child possibly born from donated gametes may, upon reaching the age of 18, obtain the donor’s identity information from the Finnish Social and Health Licensing and Supervision Agency (LVV). A person who has donated gametes has no rights or obligations towards the child.
The donor remains unknown to the recipient. They are informed only of the donor’s physical characteristics, such as height, eye and hair colour, and ethnic background. In Finland, children may be born from the same donor’s gametes in a maximum of five different families. The donor may withdraw consent at any time without separate explanation before the eggs are fertilised.
Most donors undergo stimulation and egg retrieval without complications. A small number may experience mild side effects from the hormone treatment. The ovaries temporarily enlarge during stimulation, which can cause mild lower-abdominal pressure or bloating.
During egg retrieval, IV medication is used to minimize discomfort. Complications are rare, and any potential risks are reviewed thoroughly with the doctor during treatment planning.
According to Finnish fertility treatment law, donors are compensated for expenses such as daily allowances, travel costs, and receive a €350 inconvenience allowance.
The most meaningful reward, however, is the chance to help create a new life.
According to the currently valid Act on Assisted Fertility Treatments, every gamete donor is entered in a register maintained by a public authority, so that a child who may have been born from a donated gamete can, when they turn 18 years of age, obtain information about the donor’s identity from the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health. However, a person who has donated gametes does not have any rights or obligations as regards the child.
The identity of the donor will not be revealed to the couple who receive their gametes. They will only be told about the donor’s outward appearance, such as height, the colour of their hair and eyes, and their ethnic background. The same donor’s gametes can be used for providing children to no more than five different families. Each donation event is assessed separately. You can withdraw from the donation process without explanation at any time before the embryo transfer.
