Egg donation: why wait 22 months in France when Greece has no waiting list?

A 39-year-old woman who is told she faces a two-year wait for an egg donation doesn’t hear ‘two years’. She hears ‘41 years’, and then works out how much time she’ll have left before reaching the 43-year-old age limit. It is this calculation, more than the cost or the distance, that drives several thousand French patients abroad every year.

French waiting times in figures

According to data published by the French Biomedicine Agency for the year 2025, the average waiting time for assisted reproductive treatment (ART) involving egg donation is around 22 months in France, with significant regional variations. The average waiting time for sperm donation is around 17 to 18 months. These waiting times have fallen slightly compared with 2024, but they remain structurally long.

The reason is simple: the number of donors. In 2025, around 1,050 women donated their eggs in France, a figure that is rising but still falls far short of demand. Since assisted reproductive technology (ART) was made available to single women and female couples in 2021, demand has risen sharply, whilst supply has failed to keep pace. Donation is free of charge, with no compensation beyond the reimbursement of expenses, and takes place exclusively in public or non-profit clinics: all factors that limit the pool of potential donors.

Why Greece does not have this problem

Greece has made different legal choices, described in detail in the article on the legal framework for donation. Three factors explain the absence of a waiting list:

• Regulated compensation. Law 3305/2005 prohibits remuneration but allows for a flat-rate compensation set by the National Authority for Assisted Reproduction, which covers time, travel and medical inconvenience. This makes donation accessible to women who would not otherwise be able to afford it on a voluntary basis.
• Strict anonymity. The donor knows that her identity will never be disclosed, which, in Greece, is seen as a safeguard rather than an obstacle.
• A network of accredited private clinics. There are over fifty clinics, concentrated in Athens, Thessaloniki and Crete, each with their own programmes for recruiting and monitoring donors.

In practice, this means that between the initial contact and the transfer, it takes between two and four months, and most of this time is spent preparing your own application, not waiting for a donor.

What ‘no waiting’ means, and what it does not mean

I’d like to clarify. ‘No waiting’ does not mean ‘any donor, straight away’. A reputable clinic selects a donor based on your phenotypic characteristics (eye colour, hair colour, height, blood group) and carries out the mandatory tests: serological tests, karyotyping, genetic screening for the most common recessive disorders, and a psychological assessment. If your profile is uncommon, the matching process may take a few weeks longer. This involves a wait of a few weeks, not two years, but you should allow for it.

You should also be aware that fresh eggs and vitrified eggs are both used. A cycle with a synchronised donor generally yields more embryos; a cycle using vitrified eggs from the clinic’s bank is quicker to organise. The doctor must explain what they are proposing and why.

The cost, in plain terms

In France, egg donation is 100 per cent covered as part of the four reimbursed attempts. In Greece, you’ll have to pay for it yourself: as a rough guide, expect to pay between 5,000 and 8,000 euros for a full cycle with donation, excluding medication and travel. Full pricing details are set out in this article. A partial reimbursement via the S2 form may still be possible, subject to certain conditions, if you are still eligible for reimbursement in France.

How to decide

My recommendation is always the same: register in France if you’re eligible, as it costs nothing and doesn’t commit you to anything. Then honestly assess what 22 months means at your age. If the answer is ‘too long’, Greece is a serious, legal and regulated option. The initial consultation with me is specifically designed to compare these two options side by side, using actual dates.

Frequently asked questions

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