Do I have to be anaesthetised in order for the oocytes to be extracted? The extraction of oocytes is carried out under sedation, a technique which is milder than a general anaesthetic and which permits the donor to go to sleep and not feel the irritations of the intervention. The sedation is carried out intravenously and unlike the general anaesthetic, the donor breathes at all times on their own. Once the follicular puncture has been carried out for the extraction of the oocytes, the medical team wakes the patient up, slowly, and then they are taken to a recovery room to rest until the effects of the sedation disappear completely. The whole process takes between 20 and 30 minutes. Can I have sexual relations during the process of egg donation? It is not advisable to have sexual relations while the hormonal treatment is taking place, given that the donor is undergoing a hyperstimulation which multiplies the risk of pregnancy during those days, and in which the possibility of multiple pregnancy is also increased. After the follicular puncture to extract the oocytes, sexual relations must be avoided until the next menstruation. After menstruation, the donor can resume her habitual sexual activity. Can I donate eggs if I have undergone a tubal ligation? Yes. A woman can be an egg donor providing that she has both ovaries and she passes all the medical and psychological controls prior to donation. Women who use a intrauterine device IUD can also be donors as long as they have both ovaries and pass the afore-mentioned controls. Can I donate eggs if I am taking oral contraceptives? No. Women taking oral contraceptives or using any other hormonal contraceptive methods such as a ring or patches cannot donate eggs whilst they are taking them. In order to become a donor, it is necessary to interrupt the consumption of contraceptives during the donation process and resume taking them, if desired, once the oocytes have been extracted. What documents are required in order to be an oocyte donor? An ID card or any other official document that bears the date of birth. Can I donate oocytes if I am under the age of consent? No. Only women over the age of 18 can be oocyte donors. Spanish legislation states that donors must be between the ages of 18 and 35. Can women without a uterus make use of a rented uterus? No. In Spain, the use of surrogate uteruses, also known as rented wombs, is prohibited. That is to say, a woman who, for any reason, does not have a uterus where the pregnancy can develop cannot implant the embryos resulting from the fertilization of her eggs and her partner’s semen in the uterus of another woman who has a uterus where the gestation can take place. Spanish legislation strictly forbids this practise.