How Common is Donor Egg IVF?

Donor egg in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment in which an intended parent uses eggs from an egg donor to have a baby. In this process, the donated eggs are fertilized with sperm from an intended parent or sperm donor in a laboratory to create embryos. Those embryos are monitored by an embryologist while they grow into blastocysts. They are then frozen, genetically tested, and transferred to the uterus of the intended mother (or a gestational carrier) in the hope that it will implant and result in a pregnancy. 

We know that using donor eggs can greatly increase the chances of success for an infertile couple. But how common is egg donation? Let’s dive in.

First, who uses donor eggs?

There are many reasons an intended parent would turn to donor eggs to have a baby:

• Infertility due to low ovarian reserve 
• Repeated IVF failures with own eggs
• Infertility due to recurrent miscarriage
• LGBTQ+
• Genetic mutations
• People without ovaries
• Single males
• Women whose own eggs have been damaged by chemotherapy or radiation treatment

Regardless of the reason, donor eggs are a viable, and increasingly common, path to parenthood. 

How common is donor egg IVF in the US?

The use of donor eggs has been increasing in recent years. While it's hard to know the exact number of egg donation cycles each year, we can get a good estimate through the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART), which tracks data for nearly 400 US clinics annually. 

In 2019 there were nearly 20,000 IVF transfers using donor eggs at SART-reporting clinics. That is up 14% from the previous five years. Of those transfers:

• 1,776 used fresh donor eggs
• 2,468 used frozen donor eggs
• 15,294 transferred thawed embryos

How common is donor egg IVF in the UK?

More than 70,000 donor conceived children have been born in the UK since 1991. The total number of babies born via egg donation in 2019 was 1,327, up 88% from 2009. Of those, 83% used a donor egg and the partner’s sperm. The remaining 17% used both donor egg and donor sperm.

How common is donor egg IVF in Australia and New Zealand?

In Australia and New Zealand, there were 3,316 IVF cycles performed using donor eggs (or embryos) in 2017 with 727 live births reported. Of those cycles, 86% used donor eggs and the partners sperm while the remaining used a donor embryo.

How common is donor egg IVF in Europe?

According to data from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the number of donor egg cycles in Europe has been steadily increasing in recent years. In 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, there were a total of 28,377 donor egg cycles reported in Europe, representing about 5% of all IVF cycles performed in the region. It is worth noting that these figures do not include data from all European countries, as not all countries report their IVF data to ESHRE.

How common is donor egg IVF in Asia?

In China, egg donation is uncommon. That is because donor eggs can only be used if they are unused leftover eggs from women who underwent IVF. Data collected by The Chinese Society of Reproductive Medicine (CSRM) of 327 fertility clinics from 2013 to 2016 found 1,642 donor egg cycles in that time, a small fraction of the 12 million cycles.

The use of donor eggs globally

Unfortunately there’s no way to know exactly how many donor egg cycles there are globally. 

But according to data from the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART), which collects data from 2,971 clinics in 79 countries, there were 161,139 egg donation transfers in 2018.

The use of donor eggs is more common in countries and regions with better access to IVF, and where legal, cultural, or religious beliefs make the use of donor eggs more acceptable. Plus, the use of donor eggs in IVF may be underreported in some countries, as not all countries require procedures to be reported to regulatory agencies.

Donor eggs can increase your chances of success

Around 53 percent of all donor egg cycles will result in at least one live birth. This percentage varies depending on the egg donor, recipient body mass index, stage of embryo at transfer, the number of oocytes retrieved, and the quality of the clinic.

At every age, the chances of birth with donor eggs is better, but those who benefit the most from donor eggs are women over 35 and those with low ovarian reserve. In fact, about one-quarter of women over 40 who succeeded with IVF did so through the use of donor eggs. 

At Cofertility, for those who match with a donor in our fresh egg donation program, the average number of mature eggs a family receives and fertilizes is 12. The number of eggs retrieved varies by patient and cycle, but can be predicted by a donor’s age, AMH, and antral follicle count, all of which will be known to you after the donor’s initial screening. Qualified candidates have an ample ovarian reserve for both their own needs and sharing. Egg share donors also often work closely with a fertility doctor to determine, based on their own medical history, the optimal number of eggs needed for their own future family-building goals. Should it make sense for the donor, they may choose to pursue a second egg-sharing cycle to maximize the chances of success for everyone.

Matching with a donor in our frozen program can provide the opportunity to move forward with your family-building plans faster, as frozen eggs can be fertilized or shipped to your clinic immediately or as soon as the cycle is complete. Donors undergoing frozen cycles complete equally rigorous ovarian reserve testing. While the total number of frozen eggs available will vary based on the donor’s retrieval outcomes, every frozen match is guaranteed to have a minimum of at least 6 frozen eggs.

To learn more about these programs and the differences between them, click here.

Donor eggs: where do I start?

If you are looking to use donor eggs to build your family, we’d love to help. Cofertility is a human-first fertility ecosystem rewriting the egg donation experience. Our Family by Co platform serves as a more transparent, ethical egg donor matching platform. We are obsessed with improving the family-building journey — today or in the future — and are in an endless pursuit to make these experiences more positive. Create a free account today!