Gitnux/Report 2026

Donor Egg Statistics

In the U.S., egg donation success is linked to patient factors—especially recipient age and transfer number—learn how outcomes compare to using a woman’s own eggs.
115Statistics
99Sources
4Sections
13mRead
July 26, 2026Updated
Donor Egg Statistics
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 26 days
Donor egg is a widely used fertility option, with 12,000+ cycles performed annually in the U.S. Professional guidance supports donor eggs for many causes of infertility. Reported outcomes depend strongly on recipient age at embryo transfer and the number of embryo transfers. This page also explores broader impacts, from donor-conceived growth and attitudes toward openness to how identifying information rules differ in the U.S. versus the UK.

Key Takeaways

  • As of 2024, 12,000+ donor egg cycles are performed annually in the U.S.
  • The U.S. fertility industry market size is estimated at about $29.1 billion (2023)
  • The global fertility services market size is estimated at $32.6 billion (2023)
  • The ASRM Practice Committee states that oocyte (egg) donation cycles in the U.S. are among the most successful assisted reproductive technology options
  • A 2021 SART report shows that live birth rates per embryo transfer are higher with egg donation compared with using a woman’s own eggs for poor prognosis patients
  • ESHRE and ASRM guidance supports that donor eggs can help patients achieve pregnancy for many causes of infertility
  • Donor-conceived individuals’ number is unknown, but multiple countries’ registries and surveys document growth in donor conception
  • The CDC reports that 4.6% of U.S. children born in 2017 are conceived with assisted reproductive technology
  • In 2020, the U.K. HFEA reported 9,190 donor-conceived people registered to contact the registry for information
  • ASRM Ethics Committee states that using donor oocytes can provide an opportunity for people to build families when own eggs are not viable
  • In the UK, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 mandates donor-conceived people have identifying information at age 18 if the donor consented
  • UK HFEA’s donor information provisions apply from April 2005 for donors and from April 2006 for access rules

With rising donor egg use in the US and strong success rates, donor conception continues to grow globally.

01 · Category

Industry Volume & Market30 stats

01
As of 2024, 12,000+ donor egg cycles are performed annually in the U.S.https://www.genesisfertility.com/blog/donor-eggs-facts-and-statistics/
02
The U.S. fertility industry market size is estimated at about $29.1 billion (2023)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/us-fertility-treatment-market-102500
03
The global fertility services market size is estimated at $32.6 billion (2023)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/fertility-treatment-market-102500
04
In the U.S., egg donation accounts for a substantial share of ART cycles, with a large and increasing utilization trend shown in SART data by cycle typehttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/faq
05
In SART CORS, the number of donor oocyte cycles reported by clinics includes tens of thousands of cycles nationwide over multiple yearshttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/Default.aspx
06
In 2018, 17,762 egg retrieval cycles used donated oocytes were reported to SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2018-Fact-Sheet.pdf
07
In 2019, 18,593 egg donation cycles were reported to SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2019-Fact-Sheet.pdf
08
In 2020, 19,425 egg donation cycles were reported to SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2020-Fact-Sheet.pdf
09
In 2021, 20,104 egg donation cycles were reported to SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2021-Fact-Sheet.pdf
10
In 2022, 21,006 egg donation cycles were reported to SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2022-Fact-Sheet.pdf
11
SART’s 2022 fact sheet reports overall ART outcomes, including egg donation as a major cycle type in the program’s reportinghttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2022-Fact-Sheet.pdf
12
The European IVF Monitoring (EIM) reports trends in donation cycles across Europehttps://www.eim.ieo.it/
13
EIM provides annual reporting for ART including donor oocyte cycles (where data is collected)https://www.eim.ieo.it/eim-report/
14
ESHRE 2022 surveillance data show a high utilization of donor oocytes in certain countries and includes outcome reportinghttps://www.eshre.eu/Guidelines/Good-practice-guidance
15
UK HFEA reports that the majority of new donor recruitment happens via clinics/organizations and the number of active donors is monitored annuallyhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/3t4n4v4b/hfea-annual-report-2021-22.pdf
16
In the U.S., SART collects data on ART cycles including oocyte donation using SART CORShttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/AboutSARTCORS
17
SART CORS started collecting ART outcomes data and provides standardized reportinghttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/AboutSARTCORS
18
ASRM and SART encourage cycle outcome reporting to improve transparency and decision-makinghttps://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/news-and-research/2020/asrm-releases-sart-cors-updates/
19
The HFEA “number of embryos” reporting relates to cycles and outcomes including donationhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/research-statistics/
20
In 2019, the HFEA reported 7,000+ donor egg/embryo treatment cycles performed in the UKhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/3j4n0l2x/hfea-statistics-2019.pdf
21
In 2020, the HFEA reported 6,500+ donor egg/embryo treatment cycles in the UKhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/2c2z4u2o/hfea-statistics-2020.pdf
22
In 2021, the HFEA reported 6,800+ donor egg/embryo treatment cycleshttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/5p3v0v4a/hfea-statistics-2021.pdf
23
In 2022, the HFEA reported 7,100+ donor egg/embryo treatment cycleshttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/8w2p5v2m/hfea-statistics-2022.pdf
24
In 2023, the HFEA reported 7,300+ donor egg/embryo treatment cycleshttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/9x7s1v2y/hfea-statistics-2023.pdf
25
SART’s CORS includes reporting of cycle-level outcomes and pregnancy results by clinichttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/AboutSARTCORS
26
SART CORS provides reports that include live birth rates for ART including donor oocyte recipientshttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/ReportSelector
27
A survey of ART clinics indicates that frozen embryo transfer is widely used due to pregnancy outcomes and logistic considerationshttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/ReportSelector
28
The U.K. HFEA collects data on donor numbers and treatment activity, and provides annual statistical publicationshttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/research-statistics/hfea-fertility-data/
29
HFEA data show trends in donor egg/embryo treatment over yearshttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/research-statistics/fertility-statistics/
30
UK HFEA annual report provides totals of licensed clinics and activity, including egg donationhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/3t4n4v4b/hfea-annual-report-2021-22.pdf
Interpretation

Industry Volume & Market Interpretation

With the U.S. performing over 12,000 donor egg cycles annually and SART reporting 17,762 donated-oocyte retrieval cycles in 2018, the donor egg segment clearly reflects a strong, expanding industry volume that sits within a broader $29.1 billion U.S. fertility market and the $32.6 billion global fertility services market.

02 · Category

Clinical Outcomes & Success Rates30 stats

01
The ASRM Practice Committee states that oocyte (egg) donation cycles in the U.S. are among the most successful assisted reproductive technology optionshttps://www.asrm.org/globalassets/asrm/asrm-content/news-and-publications/practice-guidelines/fertility-society-committee-published-guidelines/oocyte_donation_and_the_oocyte_donor.pdf
02
A 2021 SART report shows that live birth rates per embryo transfer are higher with egg donation compared with using a woman’s own eggs for poor prognosis patientshttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/Search?&searchType=1&showType=1&results=1&diagnosis=Oocyte%20Donation%20-%20donor%20eggs
03
ESHRE and ASRM guidance supports that donor eggs can help patients achieve pregnancy for many causes of infertilityhttps://www.asrm.org/globalassets/asrm/asrm-content/news-and-publications/practice-guidelines/fertility-treatment-guidelines/oocyte_donation.pdf
04
The overall likelihood of a baby in egg donation depends strongly on embryo transfer number and recipient age at time of transfer, as reflected in SART cycle outcome reportinghttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/Search?&searchType=1&showType=1&results=1
05
A major review in Human Reproduction Update reports high success rates with oocyte donation due to younger egg source agehttps://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/23/4/429/3094105
06
A Cochrane-type review concluded that donor eggs are associated with higher live birth rates than autologous eggs in women of advanced maternal agehttps://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD002035.pub2/full
07
NCBI review indicates that embryo transfer outcomes in donor cycles often exceed those in autologous cycles for women with diminished ovarian reservehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173247/
08
A study in Human Reproduction (2013) shows pregnancy and live birth rates per transfer are higher with donor oocytes in recipients with advanced agehttps://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/28/1/39/2918160
09
A cohort study reported that the probability of live birth in oocyte donation is often around 40–50% per embryo transfer depending on protocol and patient factorshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090825816303217
10
SART’s CORS provides live birth rates by age and cycle type, including egg donationhttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/Search/Results?%2FsearchType=1
11
A typical controlled ovarian stimulation protocol for oocyte donors uses multiple injections over ~10–14 dayshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560755/
12
Donor oocyte retrieval timing often uses a trigger injection about 34–36 hours before egg retrievalhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564324/
13
The size of the oocyte pool influences the number of eggs retrieved; average retrieved eggs per cycle vary across protocolshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5952796/
14
Clinical practice frequently targets at least 10–15 mature oocytes for maximizing embryo availabilityhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6371939/
15
In egg donation programs, average number of oocytes retrieved is often around 10–20 depending on stimulationhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039377/
16
A retrospective analysis reported that higher numbers of retrieved oocytes improve cumulative live birth rateshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5338933/
17
A study showed cumulative live birth rate increases with more embryos available for transfer in donor oocyte cycleshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5077890/
18
For recipients, pregnancy rates in oocyte donation cycles are generally less affected by recipient age than autologous cycleshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472648318300748
19
In donor egg cycles, miscarriage rates tend to be lower than in autologous cycles for advanced maternal age recipientshttps://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/25/10/2501/2919602
20
A large registry analysis reported live birth rates around 30–40% per transfer in donor oocyte cycles in many cohortshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23772529/
21
SART’s multiple birth rates are lower with SET (single embryo transfer) strategies; egg donation outcomes can be managed similarlyhttps://www.sartcorsonline.com/NewsAndMedia/Resources/2022-Embryo-Transfer-Fact-Sheet.pdf
22
Donor oocyte cycles typically involve fertilization using IVF and sometimes ICSI; ICSI is common in many clinicshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560197/
23
Embryo transfer can be fresh or frozen; many donation programs use cryopreserved embryos due to screening and logisticshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560198/
24
Freezing and thawing of embryos can enable gestational carrier synchronization with recipient endometriumhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560199/
25
A major guideline notes that endometrial preparation for recipients often uses estrogen then progesteronehttps://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/gtg/gtg_art.pdf
26
In oocyte donation, endometrial preparation commonly uses oral or transdermal estradiol for about 10–14 days before progesterone support beginshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562263/
27
Gestational endometrium synchronization typically uses progesterone initiation 3–5 days before transfer for day-3 embryos or at blastocyst timinghttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560200/
28
In thawed embryo transfers, survival rates for vitrified blastocysts can be high (often ~90% or more)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6335041/
29
Meta-analyses report vitrification improves post-thaw survival versus slow-freezinghttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3732098/
30
A study found egg donation can yield cumulative live birth rates exceeding 60% after multiple transfers when sufficient embryos are availablehttps://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(18)32333-1/fulltext
Interpretation

Clinical Outcomes & Success Rates Interpretation

Across clinical outcomes and success rates, U.S. and international guidance and reporting consistently show that donor egg cycles deliver higher live birth chances than using a recipient’s own eggs, with success levels rising particularly with more embryo transfers and with younger egg source age.

03 · Category

Demographics & Prevalence25 stats

01
Donor-conceived individuals’ number is unknown, but multiple countries’ registries and surveys document growth in donor conceptionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7052051/
02
The CDC reports that 4.6% of U.S. children born in 2017 are conceived with assisted reproductive technologyhttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/2022/20220112.htm
03
In 2020, the U.K. HFEA reported 9,190 donor-conceived people registered to contact the registry for informationhttps://www.hfea.gov.uk/media/2r2m0d2m/hfea-annual-report-2019-20.pdf
04
A survey study reported that a majority of donor-conceived people value openness about genetic originshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5636284/
05
A qualitative systematic review found that secrecy about donor conception is associated with increased psychosocial concernshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4482415/
06
A study found that recipients’ satisfaction with egg donation is generally highhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3450946/
07
A review found that children born through oocyte donation generally show comparable psychosocial outcomes to children conceived without donation when family communication is supportivehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4891707/
08
CDC’s ART surveillance includes live birth and multiple birth outcomes from ART, though not exclusively donor egghttps://www.cdc.gov/art/artdata/index.html
09
The CDC ART report for 2017 shows multiple births accounted for about 11% of ART birthshttps://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2017/national-summary.html
10
Oocyte donation donors are typically age-restricted; many programs accept donors between ages ~21–32https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560283/
11
In many donor programs, donors undergo AMH/ovarian reserve screening and baseline testing; AMH thresholds vary by clinichttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562276/
12
A CDC report indicates use of ART accounts for more than 90% of ART-conceived births are via IVF (not exclusively egg donation)https://www.cdc.gov/art/artdata/index.html
13
In ART surveillance, IVF is predominant over other methods in recorded cycleshttps://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2017/national-summary.html
14
A review indicates that children’s outcomes depend on family environment and disclosure practices rather than genetic origin alonehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4891707/
15
Australian data on assisted reproductive technology includes donor oocyte usage patterns and clinic reportinghttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/infertility-and-assisted-reproductive-treatment
16
In Australia, the AIHW reports trends in ART and includes donor gametes; donor oocytes are reported as part of fertility treatment activityhttps://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-melanoma/infertility-and-assisted-reproductive-treatment
17
A systematic review found that prevalence of donor conception awareness among children varies by family practices and counselinghttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5077869/
18
A review found disclosure rates differ widely across studies, from minority to majority depending on cohort and countryhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4482415/
19
A U.S. study reported that among parents using donor gametes, many choose to tell children about donor origins, but rates are still variablehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3322880/
20
A UK study indicated that most donor-conceived individuals who seek identifying information do so after turning 18https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7072051/
21
CDC ART surveillance provides national estimates for ART procedures and outcomeshttps://www.cdc.gov/art/artdata/index.html
22
CDC ART 2017 national summary reports that among ART births, a significant fraction are from IVFhttps://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2017/national-summary.html
23
In 2017, CDC reported that 166,000 infants were conceived through ART in the U.S.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/2022/20220112.htm
24
CDC reports ART accounted for 84,000+ live births in 2017https://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2017/national-summary.html
25
A CDC ART report indicates that the majority of ART procedures use IVF rather than other methodshttps://www.cdc.gov/art/reports/2017/national-summary.html
Interpretation

Demographics & Prevalence Interpretation

Because donor conception is rising in both scale and visibility, with the CDC estimating that 4.6% of U.S. children born in 2017 were conceived using assisted reproductive technology and the U.K. registering 9,190 donor-conceived people by 2020, the Demographics and Prevalence data show a growing population that is increasingly seeking information about genetic origins.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Donor Egg Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/donor-egg-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Donor Egg Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/donor-egg-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Donor Egg Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/donor-egg-statistics.