Welcome to Victoria’s public egg and sperm bank

For many Australians, the dream of becoming a parent cannot be achieved easily. In fact, one in six Australian couples experience difficulty conceiving.

Victoria’s public egg and sperm bank is now open for donations and we’re hoping to change this statistic.

We want to give Victorian individuals and couples a real chance at accessing donated egg and sperm and achieving their dream of starting a family.

Why would I consider donating?

Donated eggs and sperm can help people who, for many reasons, are unable to become parents.

However, in Australia, the demand for donated eggs and sperm exceeds supply.

In addition, the option of undertaking private IVF treatment and finding a suitable donor can be unaffordable for many families, couples and individuals.

Who will the service help?

There are many reasons why some people cannot have children. Sperm and egg donation can help:

people who have experienced repeated IVF failure and/or early miscarriage
people who have been affected by cancer, undergone surgery or other treatment that has affected their fertility
same-sex couples and LGBTQI+ people
people who do not have viable sperm or eggs, or who carry a serious genetic disease
individuals who wish to parent on their own
people who were born without ovaries or have gone through early menopause.

If you are an Australian citizen, you may be eligible to change someone’s life by making a donation.

If you are interested in donating your eggs or sperm: Register your interest
Find out more about: Donating your sperm
Find out more about: Donating your eggs

Who can access donated eggs and sperm?

The new egg and sperm bank has been created for people who are patients of Victoria’s public fertility service.

The bank is now open for donations. However, it will take several months to recruit enough donors so that we have eggs and sperm available. We expect patients of Victoria’s public fertility service will have access to donated egg and sperm in early 2024.

To find out more about Victoria’s public fertility service, please visit the Better Health Channel.

Donating your sperm

Choosing to become a sperm donor is a generous act that can change someone’s life. Some people experience great difficulty conceiving for all kinds of reasons. Sperm donation can help:

people who do not have viable sperm or who carry a serious genetic disease
people who have been affected by cancer, undergone surgery or other treatment that has affected their fertility
same-sex couples and LGBTQI+ people
individuals who wish to parent on their own
people who have experienced repeated IVF failure and early miscarriage.

In Victoria, egg and sperm donors cannot be paid for their donations.

All donors must be prepared to have their identifying details (name, date of birth and contact details) registered with the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority.

These details can be released to any person born as a result of a sperm donation. Anonymous donation is not allowed in Australia.

Am I eligible?

Potential sperm donors need to be Australian citizens aged between 23 and 45 years at the time of commencing their donation.

People cannot donate their sperm if they:

have a baby less than 12 months of age
are currently undertaking fertility treatment or
have a partner who is currently pregnant.

All donors will need to attend counselling and undertake medical health questionnaires, screening tests and other medical and psychological enquiries.

In Victoria, a maximum of 10 families can have children from the same sperm donor. This limit includes children with your current or former partners.

If you are interested in becoming a sperm donor and changing someone’s life: Register your interest.

What’s involved in the sperm donation process?

Expression of interest form – Once we receive your completed expression of interest form, we will get in touch with you to discuss if you are eligible, and if so, the next steps.
Screening, counselling and consent – If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will meet with you (and your partner if applicable) several times to talk about the process, consent and suitability.
Testing and donation – There are a number of medical checks and tests that need to be undertaken and after this stage, you will attend our clinic to make a donation.
Clearance – After donating your sperm, it will be held in quarantine for three months and once it is cleared for use, will go into storage.

Why do I have to attend counselling?

Making the decision to donate is significant and will have implications for you as well as your family, the potential recipient and the child.

Counselling is an important process that will support you to consider:

your motivations for donating
expectations for future contact with the parents or offspring
legal rights and responsibilities
emotional and practical implications of donating
the physical process of donating.

Can I donate to someone I know?

Yes, if you are an eligible donor, you can donate sperm to somebody you know if they are a patient of the Victorian public fertility service.

To find out more about this option, please email Donorprogram@thewomens.org.au.

If you are interested in becoming a sperm donor and changing someone’s life: Register your interest.

To find out more about becoming a sperm donor, visit the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority website.

Donating your eggs

Choosing to become an egg donor is a generous act that can change someone’s life. Some people experience great difficulty conceiving for all kinds of reasons. Egg donation can help:

people who have been affected by cancer, undergone surgery or other treatment that has affected their fertility
same-sex couples
individuals who wish to parent on their own
females who were born without ovaries or have gone through early menopause
people who have experienced repeated IVF failure and early miscarriage

In Victoria, egg and sperm donors cannot be paid for their donations. All donors must be prepared to have their identifying details (name, date of birth and contact details) registered with the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority.

These details can be released to any person born as a result of an egg donation. Anonymous donation is not allowed in Australia.

Am I eligible?

Potential egg donors need to be Australian citizens aged between 23 and 35 years (inclusive) at the time of commencing their donation.

People cannot donate their eggs if they:

have a baby less than 12 months of age
are currently undertaking fertility treatment, or
have a partner who is currently pregnant.

In Victoria, a maximum of 10 families can have children from the same egg donor. This limit includes children with your current or former partners.

All donors will need to attend counselling and undertake medical health questionnaires, screening tests and other medical and psychological enquiries.

If you are interested in becoming an egg donor and changing someone’s life: Register your interest.

What’s involved in the egg donation process?

Expression of interest form – Once we receive your completed expression of interest form, we will get in touch with you to discuss if you are eligible, and if so, the next steps.
Screening, counselling and consent – If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will meet with you (and your partner if applicable) several times to talk about the process, consent and suitability.
Testing and donation – There are a number of medical checks and tests that need to be undertaken and after this stage, you will attend our clinic to make a donation.

Clearance – After donating your egg/s, they will be cleared for use and go into storage.

Why do I have to attend counselling?

Making the decision to donate is significant and will have implications for you as well as your family, the potential recipient and the child.

Counselling is an important process that will support you to consider:

your motivations for donating
expectations for future contact with the parents or offspring
legal rights and responsibilities
emotional and practical implications of donating
the physical process of donating.

Can I donate eggs I already have in storage?

Yes, you can donate eggs in storage that you no longer need. To find out more about this option, please email Donorprogram@thewomens.org.au.

Can I donate an embryo I no longer need that is in storage?

Yes, you can donate an embryo/s in storage that you no longer need. To find out more about this option, please email Donorprogram@thewomens.org.au.

Can I donate to someone I know?

Yes, if you are eligible, you can donate your eggs to somebody you know if they are a patient of the Victorian public fertility service.

To find out more about this option, please email Donorprogram@thewomens.org.au.

Potential egg donors need to be Australian citizens aged between 23 and 38 years at the time of commencing their donation.

All donors will need to attend counselling and undertake medical health questionnaires, screening tests and other medical and psychological enquiries.

If you are interested in becoming an egg donor and changing someone’s life: Register your interest.

To find out more about becoming an egg or sperm donor in Victoria, visit the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority website.