Ine must put her desire for a child on hold for now; impending law change deters egg donors

Belgian fertility centers are reporting a stark decrease in new egg and sperm donors, a trend directly linked to the upcoming legislative changes that will abolish anonymous donations. This anticipated shift is already deterring potential donors, leaving patients like Ine (38) in a precarious position regarding their fertility treatments.

“

That they can no longer help me hits hard. My world collapsed upon reading the email. You have already gone through a whole process against breast cancer. Then you enter a real IVF process, which is also not an easy choice. And suddenly everything seems to have been for nothing.

Ine, who requires an egg donor after undergoing chemotherapy that diminished her ovarian reserve and potentially carries the BRCA gene, faces a significant setback. Her fertility center at UZ Gent informed her that they can no longer assist her due to the current shortage of anonymous donors. Having found no suitable donor among her friends and family, Ine's hope for biological motherhood now hinges on anonymous donation, a source that is rapidly dwindling.

“

It all happened so suddenly. The government clearly has not thought about the consequences of its announcement. Or at least not about women who need an anonymous egg donor. Buying sperm abroad is possible, but for egg donation, you literally have to go abroad yourself. Even before the law takes effect, I am already feeling the consequences of the new legislation.

Fertility doctors are sounding the alarm about the impact of the new law. Dr. Frauke Vanden Meerschaut from UZ Gent noted a dramatic fall in new anonymous egg donor applications, from 46 in 2025 to just 4 in 2026, with only three donation trajectories initiated this year. "We must now acknowledge that we can no longer help individuals like Ine, as difficult as that is for us," she stated.

“

In recent months, we have seen a clear decrease in the number of new candidate donors. This is related to announced changes in Belgian donor legislation, whereby anonymous egg donation will no longer be possible in the future.

Ine expressed her devastation upon receiving the email from UZ Gent, describing it as a "world-shattering" blow after her battle with breast cancer and the arduous IVF process. She criticized the government's lack of foresight regarding the consequences of the announcement, particularly for women needing anonymous donors. While sperm donation is available internationally, egg donation would require travel abroad, a significant hurdle. "Even before the law takes effect, I am already feeling the consequences of the new legislation," Ine lamented.

“

It has never been easy, as applications were already scarce. But today we must acknowledge that we can no longer help, however difficult we find that ourselves.