Egg donation process in Germany, Austria & Switzerland

This page covers Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Hardly any topic in reproductive medicine stirs up as many emotions as egg donation. Women who are looking into egg donation have often already been through several failed IVF cycles. Some are over 40. Some have premature ovarian insufficiency. They all ask themselves the same question: Can I get pregnant with a donated egg, and what does that feel like?

In this article, you will learn the exact process, the costs per country, the legal situation in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and what women typically experience with egg donation. It is based on legal texts, registry data, and studies, not on invented individual stories.

What is egg donation?

In egg donation, a donor provides her eggs. In the lab, these are fertilized through IVF with the sperm of the partner (or of a donor). The resulting embryo is transferred into the recipient’s uterus.

You carry the child. You are the mother. Biologically, the egg comes from another woman, but the pregnancy, the birth, and the child’s epigenetic shaping happen in your body.

Who is egg donation an option for?

• Women with premature menopause (POI, premature ovarian insufficiency)
• Women over 42 with a very low ovarian reserve
• Women after repeatedly failed IVF with their own eggs
• Women who are carriers of serious genetic conditions
• Women after chemotherapy or radiation

Many recipients are over 40 and have already had several unsuccessful IVF attempts.

Legal situation in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: three countries, three sets of rules

This is where it gets complicated. And that is exactly why good counseling in advance is so important.

Germany

Egg donation is prohibited in Germany. The Embryo Protection Act (Embryonenschutzgesetz, ESchG) of 1990 prohibits the transfer of another woman’s egg to a woman. Anyone who carries out the treatment is liable to prosecution, which usually means the doctor. The donor and the recipient remain exempt from punishment. This means German women may use egg donation abroad without having to fear legal consequences. Common destinations for women from Germany are Austria, Spain, and Czechia.

Austria

Egg donation has been legal in Austria since the Reproductive Medicine Law Amendment Act of 2015. Eggs may only be retrieved from the donor between her 18th and 30th birthdays, and the recipient must be younger than 45 at the start of treatment. Anonymous donation is not permitted. From age 14, the child has the right to learn the donor’s identity. A maximum of three recipient families is permitted per donor, and payment beyond out-of-pocket expenses is prohibited.

For Austrian patients, egg donation is therefore possible right in their own country. For German patients, Austria is the most obvious option because of its geographic proximity and shared language.

Switzerland

Egg donation is currently prohibited in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction (Fortpflanzungsmedizingesetz, FMedG) allows only sperm donation. In 2022, Parliament adopted a motion to permit egg donation, and in early 2025 the Federal Council adopted key parameters. A consultation procedure is planned for the second quarter of 2027, and until then the ban remains in place. Patients from Switzerland therefore travel to Spain, Czechia, or Austria.

Egg donation compared across Europe

One of the most common questions: Where should I have this done? The answer depends on your budget, your stance on anonymity, and your willingness to travel.

Spain reports the most egg donation cycles in Europe, ahead of Czechia and Russia (ESHRE, 2019 data). Success rates differ widely between countries. Czechia and Greece are often cheaper. In any case, ask exactly how donors are selected and screened.

If you are looking for a clinic, our Fertility Clinic Finder can help you find suitable facilities in your destination country.

The process for the recipient, step by step

The process for you as the recipient is medically less demanding than conventional IVF. You do not need stimulation or egg retrieval. Still, there are a few steps.

1. Initial consultation and diagnostic testing (4 to 6 weeks before transfer) Blood tests, ultrasound, consultation. This checks whether your uterine lining can be built up and whether there are any contraindications. In Austria, the doctor must also offer psychological counseling; what is mandatory is the doctor’s medical briefing no later than 14 days before treatment, as well as notarial counseling and a notarial deed. Psychological counseling can help you think the decision through calmly.

2. Hormone synchronization (2 to 3 weeks) Your cycle is synchronized with the donor’s. You take estrogen (tablets or patches) to build up the uterine lining. From a certain point on, progesterone is added. The medications are well tolerated. Usually, at most mild side effects such as breast tenderness occur.

3. Fertilization in the lab (day of the donor’s egg retrieval) The donor undergoes stimulation and egg retrieval. Her eggs are fertilized with your partner’s sperm using ICSI. On day 5 after fertilization, at the blastocyst stage, it is decided which embryos will be transferred.

Optional: PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing) can test embryos for chromosomal abnormalities. Whether this is allowed depends on the country: In Austria, routine screening is not permitted, only testing for certain indications, such as after three unsuccessful transfers or three miscarriages. In Switzerland, testing for chromosomal abnormalities is permitted. PGT-A costs an additional €2,000 to €3,500.

4. Embryo transfer It is painless, requires no anesthesia, and takes 5 to 10 minutes. A thin catheter transfers the embryo into the uterus. As a rule, a single embryo is transferred. Avoiding multiples is standard today.

5. The two-week wait and pregnancy test (10 to 14 days after transfer) The two weeks after the transfer are the hardest phase for most women. There is nothing you can do. Just wait. A blood test (beta hCG) brings clarity.

Success rates: honest numbers

Egg donation has very high success rates. Why? Because the eggs come from young, healthy donors.

The comparison is clear. With their own eggs, the live birth rate per transfer in Germany was 13.0% at age 40 (ICSI) and 7.3% at age 42. On top of that comes the higher risk of miscarriage: At age 40, 36.1% of clinical pregnancies after IVF or ICSI ended in miscarriage (German IVF Registry [Deutsches IVF-Register, D.I.R.], 2019 to 2023). With egg donation, by contrast, the recipient’s age plays hardly any role in the outcome, according to ESHRE. That is a fundamental difference.

If you are over 40 and weighing your options, also read our article on getting pregnant at 40.

What women go through: typical experiences

Every woman experiences egg donation differently. Still, there are patterns that studies and professional resources describe again and again.

The decision is the hardest part. Not the treatment itself, not the wait for the pregnancy test. It is the moment when you say: I’m letting go. My own eggs are not enough. I need help. You should take your time for this step. Psychosocial counseling can support you with it. Some women need weeks. Some need months. Both are okay.

The genetic connection comes up, but it is not a lasting issue. Before treatment, almost everyone wonders: Will the child feel like mine? The research is encouraging here. In a British study, five-year-old children conceived through egg donation described their relationship with their mother as even warmer than children conceived through IVF with their own eggs did (Imrie et al., 2021). The pregnancy, the birth, breastfeeding, all of that creates a close bond.

The question of anonymity is on many people’s minds. In countries with anonymous donation (Spain, Czechia), children never find out who the donor was. In Austria, they can find out from age 14. A helpful question: What do you want to tell your child one day? The answer will help you choose a country.

The physical burden is low. The recipient needs no stimulation injections and no egg retrieval. The hormones for building up the uterine lining are given at low doses. Physically, the process is comparable to a normal cycle.

The wait after the transfer is emotionally extreme. Many women describe these 10 to 14 days as the hardest phase. You do not feel anything yet. You do not know anything. You cannot influence anything. What helps many: deliberately planning distractions during this time. Work, exercise, friends. Do not google.

Egg donation costs in detail

The costs vary depending on the country, clinic, and additional services. In none of the three countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) does statutory health insurance cover the cost of egg donation. In Austria, the IVF Fund (IVF-Fonds) does not pay for egg donation itself either; if one partner has an indication that qualifies for the Fund, however, the IVF/ICSI can be covered in part. In Germany, the costs of egg donation abroad are also not tax deductible, according to the Federal Fiscal Court (Bundesfinanzhof).

Travel costs come on top: flight, hotel, possibly a companion. For one cycle in Spain, you should budget an additional €1,000 to €2,000 in travel costs. In Austria, much less; depending on where you live in Germany, a train trip is enough.

On Fertilio, you can find an overview of fertility clinics in Germany and abroad that offer egg donation programs.

How to find the right clinic

Not every clinic that offers egg donation works to the same standards. These questions help with your selection:

• How are donors selected? Reputable clinics screen for genetic conditions, infectious diseases, and mental health. Ask for the exact screening protocol.
• How many egg donation cycles does the clinic perform per year? The more cycles, the more experience the team usually has.
• What is the clinic-specific success rate? Not the rate from the flyer, but the verified rate from the annual report.
• Is there a guarantee option? Some clinics offer packages with several attempts and a money-back guarantee if you do not become pregnant. The costs are higher (€8,000 to €15,000), but the financial risk goes down.

You can also use our egg donation service to compare clinics by country, price, and success rate.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the entire process take from the decision to the transfer?

Plan on 3 to 6 months. That includes the initial consultation, diagnostic testing, donor selection, synchronization, and the transfer itself. In Spain, it is sometimes faster (1 to 3 months) because the pool of donors is larger. In Austria, the wait for a suitable donor can be 3 to 6 months.

Is egg donation legal for German women?

Yes. Treatment abroad carries no criminal liability for you as a patient. The German Embryo Protection Act punishes only the performance of the procedure; the donor and the recipient remain exempt from punishment. So you do not commit a criminal offense if you have egg donation carried out in Austria, Spain, or another country where it is permitted. Your gynecologist in Germany can then take over prenatal care. The costs, however, are not tax deductible (Federal Fiscal Court, 2022).

Can you tell that a child comes from egg donation?

No. Genetically, the child is related to the donor and the father (or a sperm donor), but the child is epigenetically shaped by your pregnancy. That means your body influences which genes become active and which do not. Physical resemblance depends on how well the donor was matched to you phenotypically. Reputable clinics pay attention to hair and eye color, height, skin type, and blood type.

What happens if the first transfer does not work?

After a negative pregnancy test, the next steps are usually discussed promptly. If additional embryos resulted from the fertilization, they were cryopreserved. A frozen embryo transfer costs significantly less (€800 to €1,500) and can take place as early as the next cycle. With each further transfer, the overall chance of having a child increases.

Should I tell my child that they were conceived through egg donation?

That is a very personal decision. The research favors openness: In a British long-term study, adolescents who learned how they were conceived before their seventh birthday had more positive family relationships and higher well-being than those who were told later (Ilioi et al., 2017). In Austria, the child has a legal right to information from age 14 in any case. Many families begin using age-appropriate picture books on the topic as early as toddlerhood.

Conclusion

For many women with a depleted ovarian reserve, egg donation is the path with the best chances of success. It is prohibited in Germany and Switzerland and permitted in Austria under strict conditions, and German patients remain exempt from punishment when treated abroad. The biggest hurdle is often the emotional decision, not the treatment itself. Take your time with it, compare countries and clinics carefully, and make use of psychosocial counseling.

Sources

• Section 1 Embryo Protection Act (ESchG): Misuse of reproductive techniques, Federal Ministry of Justice, as of 2026
• Reproductive Medicine Act (FMedG), Austria, Federal Legal Information System (Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes, RIS), as of 2026
• Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction (FMedG), Switzerland, Swiss Confederation (Fedlex), as of 2026
• ART in Europe, 2019: results generated from European registries by ESHRE, European IVF Monitoring Consortium (EIM) for ESHRE, Human Reproduction, 2023
• D·I·R Yearbook 2024, German IVF Registry, 2025
• Legislative projects on reproductive medicine, Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 2026
• BFH judgment VI R 34/19: Egg donation abroad not deductible as an extraordinary burden, Federal Fiscal Court (Bundesfinanzhof), 2022
• Parent-child relationship quality and child psychological adjustment in families created using egg donation: children's perspectives at age 5 years, Imrie et al., Human Reproduction, 2021
• The role of age of disclosure of biological origins in the psychological wellbeing of adolescents conceived by reproductive donation, Ilioi et al., Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2017