How many times can a woman donate her eggs in Spain?
Egg donation is an altruistic and supportive gesture that allows many women to fulfil their desire to become mothers. Thanks to the generosity of young, healthy women who decide to donate their eggs, many patients with fertility problems can begin assisted reproduction treatment with high success rates. In short, donating eggs is a way of contributing something valuable to someone else’s life, in a safe and controlled way.
Egg donation also offers benefits for those women who decide to donate her eggs. These include a complete medical check-up, which includes gynaecological studies, general analyses, genetic tests and fertility assessment. This provides a better understanding of her state of health and ovarian reserve.
Likewise, the donor receives financial compensation, established by law, to cover the expenses derived from the donation, such as travel expenses, time spent and the inconvenience caused during the process
In relation to this process, one of the most frequently asked question is how many times can a woman donate her eggs in Spain.
Legal requirements
In Spain, egg donation is regulated by Law 14/2006 on assisted human reproduction techniques, which states that egg donation must be anonymous and voluntary.
The law itself does not establish how many times a woman can donate her eggs, but it does set a limit on the number of children born alive from the donations of that same woman: no more than six in the whole country.
However, with the implementation of the National Registry of Gamete and Pre-embryo Donors, managed through the SIRHA (Assisted Human Reproduction Information System) platform, an important new feature has been introduced: the number of ovarian stimulation cycles that a woman can carry out is limited to six, regardless of the number of births.
Therefore, there are two key criteria to determine how many times a woman can donate her eggs in Spain:
- Not to exceed six live births resulting from donations.
- Not to exceed six complete donation cycles.
When the first of these two requirements is met, then the limit will be considered as reached.
Through this platform, clinics can verify in real time how many donations a person has made, and how many births have resulted from those donations. This ensures that the legal limit is met and protects both the donor and future recipient families.
Physiological considerations
Clinics also value other aspects, such as the donor’s physical and emotional well-being. Although egg donation is a safe and well-established procedure, it is not without some discomfort or side effects.
Each cycle involves hormonal ovarian stimulation for approximately 9-10 days, followed by a simple procedure to retrieve the eggs, which is performed under sedation and usually takes only a few minutes. Some women may experience mild side effects during treatment, such as abdominal bloating or pelvic discomfort. These symptoms usually disappear on their own within a short time and are considered normal for the process.
In some rare cases, more complex scenarios may occur, although most of them are mild and resolve without complications. The medical staff monitors closely throughout the treatment to detect any warning signs.
Another question is how often eggs can be donated. To take care of the donor’s health, it is recommended to leave an interval of about three months between cycles to allow for adequate recovery.
Therefore, beyond the legal limits, each clinic evaluates each donor individually and decides, together with the donor, when and how many cycles can be carried out. The priority will always be to preserve their safety and well-being.
Jaime Guerrero, Embryologist and Director of the Oocyte Donation and Cryobiology Programme at Instituto Bernabeu.