Egg Donation in Greece
So why choose to have egg donation in Greece?
The Greek legislation (Law 3305, dated 27/01/2005 and 4958, dated 21/07/2022) refers to assisted reproduction and describes how all fertility treatments should be performed, including egg donation. Greece offers one of the most patient friendly and liberal IVF legislations in the whole of Europe. This has made Greece a top destination for such treatment, as it offers high technology medical treatments with very high success rates at reasonable prices. This in combination with the fact that Greece is an excellent holiday destination makes the choice of this country for egg donation treatment very popular when seeking treatment abroad.
Important points of the Greek legislation regarding egg donation
All egg and sperm donors are either anonymous or eponymous (by choice of the donor and the recipient). As a result, large numbers of donors are available, eliminating long waiting lists for treatment. So, most likely, your egg donation treatment can start straight away once a suitable donor is found.
In case the donor decides to be anonymous, only non-identifying information can be given to a recipient. However, you will have access to the physical characteristics of the donor as well as the age, country of origin, and level of education.
Greek law states that egg donors are thoroughly screened for infectious diseases and are only allowed to donate once certain blood tests have been completed. These include HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B and C. However, some IVF clinics will screen further to ensure your safety.
The most important points of the Greek legislation regarding egg donation are:
- Egg donation treatment is either anonymous or eponymous (by choice of the donor and the recipient). In case the donor decides to be eponymous, the child can obtain information about the donor after the age of 18. In anonymous donation, the donor and the patients’ identity are not revealed to each other and the child cannot obtain information about the donor even after the age of 18.
- The recipient selects whether to have an anonymous or eponymous donor.
- Treatment is permitted in women up to the age of 54 years old. For women above 50 years old (50 and 1 day) treatment has to be approved by the National Authority of Assisted Reproduction in Greece, under certain requirements.
Please contact us for more information. - There is no age limit for male partners.
- Treatment can be performed in three ways:
- With the use of fresh eggs
- With the use of frozen eggs
- By using egg sharing (with the use of eggs from a woman having her own IVF treatment and willing to donate some of her eggs).
- Egg donors should be up to the age of 35.
- Treatment can be offered to married couples, couples not married and single women. In the last two categories, a notarial deed must be signed.
- The maximum number of embryos that can be transferred is 2 when an egg donor is used.
Please see how Newlife IVF Greece performs egg donation cycles.
Low cost treatment
Greece offers a very low-cost option for egg donation treatment, without this impacting the quality, as the services provided are excellent and the success rates are very high. If you compare it to the price of treatment in the UK and USA, you will see that costs are significantly lower. Donor IVF treatments in the UK have starting costs of what treatment will totally cost in Greece, while the USA cost exceeds $35,000. This is about 3 times more than what it would cost in Greece including travel. However, one should perform a thorough investigation of what is included and what is not when comparing clinic costs as there could be many hidden costs.
Low cost travel and accommodation
The cost of living in Greece is lower than in other countries in Europe. Therefore, despite having to deal with additional costs if you travel abroad for fertility treatment, these are quite low, particularly in Thessaloniki. Travel costs can be greatly reduced if you have your treatment in the off-peak season.
Furthermore, we at Newlife always obtain offers from specific facilitators offering accommodation, travel, short trips in order to ensure that your stay in Greece is as pleasant as we can make it but also so that we keep the costs low.
