Egg Donation Step by Step: What Donors Go Through

Short answer. The egg donation process in India runs from an eligibility check to recovery after retrieval. A registered ART Bank screens and registers the donor. Stimulation and retrieval take place at a registered ART clinic, not at the bank (Rules r.3(1)(ii)). The donor is insured for 12 months (Act s.22(1)(b)).

The egg donation process, step by step

Step 1: Check your eligibility

You must be 23 to 35 years old and must not have donated before (Act s.27(2)(b) and s.27(4)). Unmarried women and women without children may donate (File No. I.11019/51/2022-HR dated 29 Nov 2022, Q3). See our post Can an unmarried woman donate eggs in India?.

Step 2: Screening and registration

Only a registered ART Bank may screen and supply donors (Act s.27(1)). You are tested for HIV 1 and 2, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and syphilis (Act s.21(b); Rules r.10 and r.14). The clinic may also check your general health. The bank records your name, Aadhaar and address, and takes a written confidentiality undertaking from you (Act s.27(6); Rules r.15).

Step 3: Information and consent

Before anything starts, the team explains the process to you. You give written informed consent in Form 13 (Act s.22(1)(a); Rules r.13). You also understand that you give up all parental rights over any child born from your eggs (Act s.31(1) and (2)). Take your time. Ask every question you have before you sign.

Step 4: Insurance

The commissioning couple or woman buys 12 months of insurance for you from an IRDA recognised insurer. It must be enough to cover complications of egg retrieval (Act s.22(1)(b); Rules r.12). You do not pay for it.

Step 5: Stimulation

Doctors give medicines, usually by injection, for some days so that several eggs mature together. You are monitored during this time. The 2023 Regulations require controlled stimulation to prevent a complication called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, or OHSS (ART Regulations, 2023, G.S.R. 269(E)). Stimulation happens at a registered ART clinic, not at the bank.

Step 6: Egg retrieval

Retrieval is a short procedure done at a registered ART clinic. Surgical retrieval is done at a Level 2 clinic (Rules r.13(1)(c)). The 2023 Regulations require that all formed follicles are retrieved (G.S.R. 269(E)). The clinic will explain what anaesthesia or sedation is used for you.

Step 7: Recovery

Most donors rest for the rest of the day and are watched until the clinic says they can go home. Mild discomfort can happen. Follow the clinic’s advice. If you feel unwell afterwards, contact the treating clinic. Our post Is egg donation safe? explains when to call a doctor.

After you donate

You may donate only once in your life (Act s.27(4)). Your information stays confidential, apart from the limited cases in Act s.21(e). Your eggs go to one commissioning couple only (Act s.27(3)).

What about money?

Egg donation for commercial gain is not allowed. Documented expenses may be reimbursed with no monetary gain. Read Are egg donors paid in India? for the details.

Zoi Fertility is the registered ART Bank behind the Egg Donor India programme (URN MH/AB/2022/10691/Mumbai/83).

Become a donor · Read the full law guide

Questions

References

• Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 (Act No. 42 of 2021): section 21(b) and 21(e); section 22(1); section 27(1) to (4) and (6); section 31(1) and (2).
• Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Rules, 2022 (G.S.R. 419(E)): rules 3(1)(ii), 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
• Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Regulations, 2023 (G.S.R. 269(E), 5 Apr 2023).
• Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of Health Research): File No. I.11019/51/2022-HR dated 29 Nov 2022.

This page explains the law as published. It is not legal advice. It is general information and not medical advice for you.