Egg donation: a baby, whatever the cost

Updated after 2021: this article, first published in 2007, takes account of France's 2021 bioethics law and the opening of fertility treatment to all women.

There is just one problem: France puts obstacles in the way of egg donation. Strict regulation, crushing waiting times and endless tests make it a very rare procedure — a situation all the more absurd when neighbouring countries present themselves as champions of egg donation and egg transfer.

Belgium, Greece and Spain welcome many foreign patients every year, including French women.

The benefits of egg donation? No need to spell them out: having a child is a huge joy, and being able to give birth to one is a blessing. Not that adoption is completely rejected by these women who long for a child, but here too the process turns into an obstacle course, with the possibility of yet another failure and a lot of lost time.

Time is precious, and all too often wasted by French laws on cell donation. The fact is that France upholds the principle that organ and cell donation is unpaid, a principle that creates an incredibly long and absurd process, often leaving egg donation candidates facing failure after an exhausting journey.

The principle itself is simple to state: a donor, after stimulation and close monitoring, gives a few eggs collected during a retrieval procedure. They are fertilised in the laboratory with the partner's or a donor's sperm, and then an embryo is transferred.

In practice, waiting times remain highly variable depending on the region and centre: the opening of fertility treatment to all women in 2021 increased demand, and some patients wait several years — while, as age advances, every three months counts.

Numerous and repeated tests, ovarian stimulation and overstimulation, lengthy or even unsuitable treatments, and the unchecked power of specialists — criticised by many candidates who are refused a transfer for reasons that are not always explained to them... All these are reasons why French women try their luck elsewhere, mainly in Spain, Greece and Belgium, where, depending on the clinic, you should expect €3,000 to €10,000 per attempt (roughly £2,600 to £8,600; exchange rates vary, so always confirm the current cost with the clinic), on top of the many tests.

To our European neighbours, our legislation is an aberration involving an incredible waste of time and money, so much so that every year their hospitals and specialists see a stream of French candidates, informed by a friend or a discussion on one of the many forums devoted to egg donation, that here time is more favourable to babies.

On the recipient's side, preparing the uterus and then transferring the embryo follow a precise protocol, tailored to each woman's profile. These steps are discussed case by case with your gynaecologist or the fertility treatment team.

The framework has changed, but the difficulties remain: since the 2021 bioethics law, the Agence de la biomédecine (French Biomedicine Agency) continues to document a shortage of egg donations in France.

Going abroad to have donor eggs transferred? A trend that, in specialists' eyes, is not about to fade. Today, the average age at first child is constantly being pushed back, and tomorrow? Women also want a career and good years of 'freedom' before devoting themselves to motherhood. But they sometimes ignore that the more time passes, the more difficulty conceiving intrudes on life plans: a new problem, a new reality, a baby at any price.

And France — will it keep changing its bioethics laws in response to this social phenomenon that egg donation has become?

When, after several years of trying, the longed-for baby does not arrive, and the bad news you already suspected comes, you look for any solution to experience, in turn, the joy of giving birth to a baby. Not being able to conceive a child is experienced as an injustice that must be remedied: in our current society, the pressure remains strong, and a woman is often sent back to the idea that she must bear a child, as if her fulfilment depended on it... The solutions are limited, and you soon run through them: fertility treatment and hormone stimulation already tried many times, or egg donation — these are often the last open doors to motherhood.

Costs

In France, fertility treatment with donor eggs is fully covered by the French state health insurance (Assurance maladie) for women who meet the conditions, including age (under 43), in authorised centres; waiting times remain the main obstacle. In foreign clinics — Spain, Greece, Belgium — expect €3,000 to €10,000 per attempt (roughly £2,600 to £8,600; exchange rates vary, so always confirm the current cost with the clinic), plus preliminary tests, travel and accommodation. Always ask for a detailed quote and check the legal framework of the country you choose before committing.

Sources

• French Law No. 2021-1017 of 2 August 2021 on bioethics (Legifrance).
• Agence de la biomédecine (French Biomedicine Agency), annual reports on medically assisted reproduction activity.
• French Ministry of Health and Prevention, 'Medically assisted reproduction' section.