Donor treatment at Fertility Plus

Using donor eggs or donor sperm opens up wonderful possibilities for building your family when your own eggs or sperm can't be used, or when you want to avoid passing on a genetic condition. We strictly adhere to UK law and HFEA guidance throughout all donor treatments, giving you peace of mind every step of the way.

Donor sperm treatment

We arrange donor sperm treatment through Care Fertility, using sperm from HFEA-compliant UK or imported donor banks. All donor sperm used in the UK must meet HFEA screening, safety and consent rules, and can only be used in licensed clinics.

  • Donors are medically and genetically screened and give written consent to storage and treatment use.
  • If donor sperm is imported into the UK, it must come from an approved clinic/bank and meet UK standards before it can be used at Care Fertility.

Sperm donor clinics that are used by Care Fertility

  1. European Sperm Bank
  2. Fairfax Cryobank
  3. Cryos International
  4. Born Donor Bank
  5. California Cryobank
  6. London Sperm Bank
  7. Sussex Sperm Bank

Donor egg treatment

Donor egg treatment can help when:

Egg numbers are very low (diminished ovarian reserve or premature ovarian insufficiency).

Egg quality is not sufficient which can be related to many factors including age.

There is a significant genetic condition you do not wish to pass on.

IVF with your own eggs has not been successful.

In donor egg treatment, eggs from a donor are fertilised with your partner's sperm or donor sperm, and the resulting embryos are transferred to your womb.

Donor eggs in the UK: identity-release donors

UK Law — from 2005

In the UK, egg donors are not fully anonymous. The law changed in 2005 so that:

  • Children born from donated eggs or sperm in the UK can, at age 18, ask the HFEA for identifying details about their donor (such as name, date of birth and last known address).
  • Parents do not receive this identifying information, and donors cannot request information about children born from their donation.
  • Should you need donor eggs as part of your treatment, we can refer you to established London-based egg banks and guide you through the process.
Treatment abroad with anonymous donors

To widen options and reduce waiting times, our doctors (Mr Shah, Mr Gudi and Dr Thakre) work closely with experienced partner clinics in places such as Cyprus and Spain. In many of these countries, egg donation is legally anonymous:

  • Donor identity is not released to you or to any future child; only non-identifying details (such as physical characteristics) are shared.
  • These treatments are carried out under the laws of the country where treatment takes place and are not regulated by the UK HFEA.
  • We help you decide whether UK identity-release donation or anonymous donation abroad is better for you, taking into account legal, ethical and emotional aspects for you and any future child.

How donors are selected

Egg and sperm donors used in your treatment are carefully screened:

Medical and family history, infectious disease tests and, where appropriate, genetic tests are performed according to respective regulatory standards.

Donors usually provide information about their physical features and background.

Matching takes into account ethnicity and key physical characteristics as far as possible.

How donor egg treatment works

Although details differ between UK and overseas programmes, the basic steps are similar:

1
You have a consultation and investigations to confirm that donor treatment is appropriate and safe.
2
A suitable donor is selected and completes ovarian stimulation and egg collection, or frozen donor eggs are selected and thawed.
3
Eggs are fertilised with your partner's sperm or donor sperm to create embryos.
4
One or more embryos are transferred to your womb in a fresh or, more commonly, a frozen cycle; any good-quality extra embryos can be frozen for later use.
We will discuss success rates, number of embryos to transfer, and the risks, including multiple pregnancy.

Starting donor treatment with Fertility Plus

Using donor eggs or donor sperm is a big decision, emotionally and practically. At Fertility Plus we:

Offer detailed counselling about UK law, HFEA rules and the differences between UK identity-release donation and anonymous treatment abroad.
Work only with licensed UK centres and trusted overseas clinics that follow robust medical and screening standards.
Arrange your donor sperm treatment via Care Fertility so that all donor sperm used is compliant with HFEA regulations on screening, import and storage.
If you are considering donor treatment, the next step is to book a consultation with one of our fertility specialists. They will review your history, explain your UK and overseas options in clear terms, and help you choose the safest and most suitable path to growing your family.

Surrogacy at Fertility Plus

Surrogacy is one way to build a family when you cannot safely carry a pregnancy yourself. At Fertility Plus, we offer fertility treatment for intended parents who already have a suitable surrogate, as we do not find or match surrogates for patients and we do not arrange surrogacy abroad.

What is surrogacy? Surrogacy is a personal journey where another woman, the surrogate, carries a pregnancy for you. After birth, you'll raise your baby as their parent, following the proper legal steps under UK law to make this official.

How Fertility Plus supports your surrogacy journey

1
We provide fertility treatment—such as IVF or embryo transfer—for individuals and couples who have found their own surrogate and are ready to begin treatment.
2
While we don't have our own network of surrogates or offer matching services, we're here to guide you through the medical side of your journey once you've connected with a surrogate independently.
3
We don't arrange overseas surrogacy, as UK law around international surrogacy and bringing your baby home is particularly complex and strictly regulated. Any surrogacy pursued abroad falls outside UK regulatory protections, so it's crucial to ensure you can meet all UK immigration and legal requirements before beginning treatment.

Useful Addresses

COTS (Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy)

Secretary: Geena Dodd COTS

Lairg,

Sutherland

IV27 4EF

Telephone: 0844 414 0181

info@surrogacy.org.uk

http://www.surrogacy.org.uk

Surrogacy UK

PO Box 323,

Hitchin,

Hertfordshire

SG5 9AX

http://www.surrogacyuk.org

Infertility Network

UK Charter House,

43 St Leonards Road

Bexhill on Sea,

East Sussex

TN40 1JA

Telephone: 08701 188 088

http://www.fertilitynetworkuk.org

Natalie Gamble Associates

19 Glasshouse Studios

Fryern Court Road

Burgate

Nr Salisbury

SP6 1QX

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3701 5915

enquiries@gambleandghevaert.com

http://www.nataliegambleassociates.co.uk

Further resources

https://surrogacyuk.org

https://www.gov.uk/legal-rights-when-using-surrogates-and-donors