Double donation in Greece: when neither the eggs nor the sperm are usable

Double donation involves creating embryos using donor eggs and donor sperm. It is prohibited in France, where the law requires that at least one member of the couple must provide their gametes. It is legal in Greece, Spain and Belgium. In Greece, it accounts for a significant proportion of donation cycles.

Who is it for?

There are four main scenarios:

• A single woman whose ovarian reserve is depleted or whose age no longer allows her to use her own eggs. This is the most common case.
• A heterosexual couple facing both ovarian insufficiency and irreversible azoospermia or severe sperm abnormalities. The article on sperm analysis details what can be attempted beforehand.
• A genetic risk carried by both parents, where pre-implantation genetic testing is insufficient to rule it out.
• Repeated failures using the couple’s own gametes, where embryo quality remains poor despite several attempts.

In the first case, double donation is not always the only option: a single woman with an adequate ovarian reserve may use her own eggs and rely on sperm donation alone. The doctor must raise this issue before proposing double donation, not afterwards.

The Greek legal framework

Law 3305/2005, amended in 2022, permits the donation of gametes from both sources in a single attempt. Donors are anonymous, receive a lump-sum payment, and undergo the same tests as in a single donation: serological tests, karyotyping, screening for common recessive disorders, and psychological assessment. The donor must be under 35 years of age, and the donor under 40. The limit of ten children per donor applies.

Under Greek law, parentage is established in respect of the woman who gives birth and, in the case of a couple, the spouse who has given consent. Under French law, the same principle applies: childbirth establishes maternity, and consent to the donation given before a notary precludes any challenge to paternity. A married couple or a single woman therefore faces no civil status issues upon their return. I would nevertheless recommend having the consent forms reviewed by a French solicitor before signing, as this is the only document that will protect you should any issues arise in the future.

Embryos from a double donation or an embryo donation?

These are not the same thing, and confusion is common. In a double donation, the embryos are created specifically for you, using gametes selected according to your characteristics. In an embryo donation, you receive frozen surplus embryos donated by another couple who have completed their family planning: you do not choose anything, but the cost is significantly lower. Both are legal in Greece. Embryo donation generally costs between 2,700 and 4,500 euros.

Matching

The clinic selects the female and male donors based on your physical characteristics and blood group: eye and hair colour, height, complexion and ethnicity. You do not browse a catalogue, nor do you choose specific individuals by name. You can express preferences, and a reputable clinic will explain why it has selected a particular profile. If your characteristics are not widely represented in the local pool, the matching process may take a few weeks longer.

Results and costs

The success rates are the highest of all assisted reproductive technologies (ART), because both gametes come from young people with no history of infertility: the clinical pregnancy rate following transfer is typically between 50 and 60 per cent, and the number of embryos obtained often allows for several transfers. In terms of cost, you should budget for the price of one cycle with egg donation, i.e. 5,000 to 8,000 euros, plus an additional 500 to 1,000 euros for donor sperm. A breakdown of the costs is available here.

The non-medical aspect

This is the aspect I discuss at greatest length with patients. Dual donation raises questions that single donation does not pose to the same extent: what to tell the child, at what age, and how to deal with Greek anonymity when French law has taken the opposite approach for children born in France. There is no single, universally correct answer, but there is one wrong approach: putting off the question until later. Studies on families formed through donation show that children who are told early on and in simple terms fare better than those who find out later. This needs to be prepared before pregnancy, not afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

Source: https://fertilitegrece.com/en/blog/double-donation-eggs-sperm-greece/ — Triada Baloukoudis, IVF patient coordination in Greece. General information, not medical or legal advice. Printed on