Egg Donors in Spain: How URE Centro Gutenberg Selects and Matches Donors

Egg donation is a life-changing option for women and couples whose own eggs are not viable or sufficient to achieve pregnancy.

At URE Centro Gutenberg in Malaga, Spain, egg donors play a central role in helping people realise their dream of becoming parents — from single women and same-sex couples to heterosexual couples facing complex infertility challenges.

What Is Egg Donation?

Egg donation involves a healthy woman (the donor) providing her eggs to be fertilised in vitro and later transferred to the uterus of another woman. It is a selfless and altruistic act that helps many people achieve pregnancy when their own eggs are not an option.

In Spain, egg donation is regulated by law and must be:

• Voluntary
• Anonymous
• Altruistic
• Informed and safe

This guarantees donor anonymity and ethical standards at all times.

Why Egg Donation Matters

Egg donation opens the door to parenthood for:

• Women without ovarian function
• Women with premature ovarian insufficiency
• Patients post-chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Women with repeated IVF failure
• Those with genetic conditions contraindicating own eggs

Who Can Be an Egg Donor in Spain?

To ensure the best outcomes for recipients, URE requires donors to:

• Be between 18 and 35 years old
• Be in good physical and psychological health
• Have no personal or family history of inheritable genetic diseases
• Have no significant sexually transmitted infections

These requirements align with Spanish legal standards and clinical best practices.

Anonymity and Ethics

In Spain:

• Donors and recipients never meet
• Recipients cannot choose their donor
• Donors do not know who receives their eggs

This preserves confidentiality and complies fully with legal protections for all parties.

How Are Egg Donors Selected?

At URE Centro Gutenberg, we have our own egg donor programme and do not rely on external egg banks. This allows our team to manage the entire donor selection and matching process directly, following our own medical and quality criteria.

The selection of our egg donors is comprehensive and legally compliant, ensuring safety and compatibility:

1. Initial screening via contact form or clinic communication
2. Personal interview and health evaluation
3. Complete medical-gynaecological examination
4. Psychophysical assessment
5. Extensive bloodwork including serology and genetics:

• Blood type and Rh factor
• Syphilis testing, hepatitis B and C serology, HIV testing
  
• Clinical testing for the detection of infectious clinical stages of toxoplasmosis, rubella, herpes simplex virus, and cytomegalovirus.
• Clinical testing for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.
• Karyotype and genetic carrier screening. This test analyzes genes to determine if a donor carries certain genetic disorders. It detects more than 800 diseases listed in major databases

Only donors who pass all evaluations can proceed with donation.

How Is an Egg Donor Matched to the Recipient?

Under Spanish Assisted Reproduction Law, egg and sperm donation are anonymous and altruistic. This means that patients do not choose their donor; instead, our specialised team is responsible for selecting the most suitable donor for each recipient.

When assigning a donor, we aim to achieve the greatest possible physical similarity with the recipient, taking into account characteristics such as:

• Ethnic background
• Eye colour
• Hair colour
• Height and weight
• Blood group and Rh factor

Genetic matching can also be performed when appropriate or requested, comparing the donor’s genetic carrier screening results with those of the male partner in order to reduce the risk of both being carriers of the same recessive genetic condition.

What Happens After an Egg Donor Has Been Matched?

Once a suitable donor has been selected and matched, the donor undergoes ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval. The eggs are then fertilised in our own IVF laboratory, while the recipient’s endometrium is prepared and synchronised for embryo transfer.

The selected embryo is then transferred to the recipient’s uterus in a simple procedure that does not normally require anaesthesia.

For international patients, much of the treatment can be coordinated from their home country. If you would like to know more about the complete process, including medical tests, travel, embryo transfer and follow-up, read our guide to how egg donation in Spain works for international patients.

Why Choose URE Centro Gutenberg for Egg Donation?

At URE Centro Gutenberg, the egg donation program is built on:

• Over 35 years of fertility expertise
• A multidisciplinary medical team dedicated to both egg donors and recipients
• Advanced diagnostic and laboratory technology
• Clear, compassionate communication for international patients

We manage the donor selection and matching process directly through our own egg donor programme, while supporting both donors and recipients throughout every stage of the process.

Egg donation is more than a medical treatment. It is a deeply personal journey that deserves clear information, expert medical care and compassionate support.

The first consultation is free and can be carried out online, allowing international patients to discuss their case with our medical team before travelling to Spain.