Egg donation is applied in the following cases:

• The female partner is a carrier of a severe genetic disease

• Ovaries are absent or non-functional, or they do not respond to ovarian stimulation regimens.

• At ages of over 40 years

Eggs are donated voluntarily by women aged <35 years. Egg donors are tested for a range of diseases and a complete medical history is taken. Tests include HIV, Hepatitis B and C, gonorrhea, syphilis, cystic fibrosis, thalassemia etc.. Egg donation is anonymous and may be performed with fresh or with frozen oocytes.

Pregnancy rates depend mainly on the age of the donor. However, the recipient's advanced age may negatively affect success rates, probably because of ageing of the endometrium, or due to gynecological problems, such as the presence of fibroids in the uterine wall.