Egg Donation

Egg donors use ovulation injections and medication and undergo a retrieval procedure, so there may be local discomfort or allergic reactions from the injections, and a possibility of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) from induced ovulation. Severe OHSS occurs in about 1–5% of cases, with possible symptoms such as bloating, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, reduced urine output and weight gain; mild cases usually resolve on their own within a few days. On day 3 after retrieval, a follow-up ultrasound confirms good recovery, completing the donation cycle.

Egg donors who complete the donation procedure may receive up to NT$99,000 (nutrition subsidy, compensation for lost working hours, and transportation).

In a normal egg retrieval, general anesthesia is given by intravenous injection, and under vaginal-ultrasound guidance a retrieval needle is used to aspirate the mature eggs and follicular fluid. The whole process is painless and leaves no visible marks; because there is only a needle puncture, no suturing is needed, and the procedure takes about 20-40 minutes. No hospitalization is required — you may rest at home if there is no discomfort, and take oral anti-inflammatory painkillers for 2-3 days as directed by the physician.

A healthy woman has hundreds of thousands of usable eggs and consumes hundreds to thousands each month, yet only one matures and ovulates. The donated egg is one that would have been used up that month and would shrink away on its own even without donation, so it does not reduce your egg reserve or bring menopause earlier.

To protect public health and ethical values and to avoid confusion of bloodlines, assisted reproduction using donated eggs or sperm may not combine sperm and eggs between relatives within the fourth degree of kinship. The clinic completes verification before using donated eggs to prevent such situations. In addition, because the legal status of children born through assisted reproduction differs somewhat from traditional civil law, where prohibitions such as consanguineous marriage or adoption might arise, the child or their legal representative may apply to the competent authority for an inquiry.

Chinese medicine, Western medicine, hormone drugs, weight-loss drugs, sleeping pills and the like must be paused until the cycle ends. There are no special restrictions on everyday activity, but please keep a regular routine and normal diet, and follow the physician’s instructions to return to the clinic on schedule for injections or to monitor follicle growth and count.

The clinic only provides matching reference data such as blood type, ethnicity, skin tone, height and education; no other personal information about the donor is disclosed.

Under Article 19 of the Assisted Reproduction Act, once reproductive cells have been donated the donor may not request their return. However, if the donor is later diagnosed or certified by a physician as having impaired fertility, they may request the return of reproductive cells that have not yet been destroyed.