Every year, around 12,000 people have treatment with the help of a donor. Find out more about donor conception and how you can donate your eggs, sperm or embryos.
Donating to someone who wants a family is, quite simply, an extraordinary act of kindness
Donating your sperm gives a couple or single woman the chance to have a much longed for family. However, there are many implications for the future to consider. If you decide to donate your sperm, you will be given the opportunity to discuss and talk implications through with a counsellor. Your centre should offer you the opportunity to receive counselling and we strongly recommend you take up this offer.
Donating or sharing your eggs is an amazing gift. It involves going through part of the IVF process, which involves a surgical procedure to collect the eggs, and there are some serious questions to consider before committing. If you decide to donate your eggs you will be given the opportunity to discuss and talk implications through with a counsellor. We strongly recommend you take up the offer of counselling.
If you have embryos you don’t want to use in your own treatment, you could consider donating them to someone else's treatment, or to embryo research or for training purposes, rather than discarding them.
Research using eggs, embryos and sperm has led to incredible advances in fertility and disease knowledge and treatment. Find out more about how you can donate to research.
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The information we're able to disclose about you as a donor depends on when you made your donation. Learn more about what your donor-conceived children can find out about you.
Find out more about Disclosing donor information.
Many donors are curious to know whether any children were born as a result of their donation. You can apply to us for this information completely free of charge if you donated after 1 August 1991.
Find out more about Applying for information.
Most donors who donated after 1 April 2005 are not anonymous (there are some exceptions to this). This means that any donor-conceived children born from your donation can apply to access information including your full name and last known address, once they turn 18.
Anyone who donated before 1 April 2005 is automatically anonymous. If you would like, you can choose to remove your anonymity to allow any donor-conceived individuals to potentially make contact with you.
Find out more about Removing your anonymity.
Checking if you are an identifiable or an anonymous donor
If you aren’t sure if you are an identifiable donor or an anonymous donor (for example, because you cannot remember when you donated), the quickest way to find out is to contact the clinic at which you donated. If the clinic is closed, you can contact the HFEA to check.
If you were conceived with the help of a donor, you may want to know about your donor and any donor-conceived siblings you may have. Find out more about the information we hold and how we can help you prepare for accessing information from us.
If your child is donor-conceived, you may be wondering when and how is the best time to broach the subject of their origins. Get advice on talking about donor conception with your child.
Publication date: 28 August 2024
Review date: 28 August 2026
