Can You Use Both Donor Eggs and Donor Sperm for IVF?

Short answer: Yes. IVF can use both donor eggs and donor sperm to create embryos. This is sometimes called double-donor IVF or double gamete donation. The intended parent or parents are not genetically related to the resulting embryo, but they direct the family-building process and, when applicable, one intended parent may carry the pregnancy. The exact medical, legal and counseling steps depend on the clinic, donor programs and jurisdiction.

What is double-donor IVF?

In double-donor IVF, an egg from one donor is fertilized with sperm from another donor in an IVF laboratory. The resulting embryos may be cultured, frozen, tested when appropriate and later transferred to an intended parent or a gestational carrier.

The egg and sperm donors are usually selected separately. They may come from a fertility clinic, egg-donation agency, frozen egg bank or sperm bank. Clinics must confirm that both sources meet their medical and regulatory requirements before treatment proceeds.

How does the process work?

1. Consultation and treatment planning: A reproductive endocrinologist reviews the intended parent’s medical history, reproductive goals and plans for carrying the pregnancy.
2. Selecting an egg donor: Intended parents review available fresh or frozen egg-donor options, medical and family history, genetic screening, identity-release policies and availability.
3. Selecting a sperm donor: They review sperm-donor screening, vial type, inventory, genetic information and policies governing future identity disclosure or contact.
4. Compatibility review: The fertility clinic or genetics professional compares the donors’ carrier-screening results and family histories. A negative screening result cannot eliminate every genetic risk.
5. Fertilization and embryo culture: Donor eggs are fertilized with donor sperm. The clinic decides whether conventional IVF or ICSI is appropriate based on the laboratory plan and the sperm specimen.
6. Embryo transfer: A selected embryo is transferred to the intended parent or an approved gestational carrier. Remaining suitable embryos may be cryopreserved for future use.

How is this different from embryo donation?

The two options can lead to a pregnancy in which neither intended parent is genetically related to the child, but they begin differently.

• Double-donor IVF: The intended parent or parents select egg and sperm sources, and embryos are created specifically for their treatment.
• Embryo donation: Existing embryos created during another person’s or couple’s prior fertility treatment are donated for another recipient’s use.

This distinction can affect donor selection, the amount of available medical information, the number of embryos, legal documents, costs and decisions about future contact. ASRM guidance also notes that donated embryos must have appropriate consent, records and labeling, and that recipients may benefit from psychoeducational counseling.

Do both donors need medical and genetic screening?

Yes. Each donor is evaluated under the rules and clinical standards that apply to that type of donation. In the United States, FDA requirements address donor eligibility and infectious-disease screening and testing for donated reproductive tissue. Fertility programs may apply additional medical, genetic and psychological criteria.

ASRM’s 2024 guidance recommends careful medical and family-history review, infectious-disease screening, genetic evaluation and counseling for gamete donation. When two donors are used, their carrier-screening results should be considered together because the important question is whether both could pass on variants associated with the same recessive condition.

For more detail, see our guide to genetic screening before choosing an egg donor and our overview of sperm-donor screening.

Can you use frozen donor eggs and frozen donor sperm?

Often, yes. Many clinics create embryos using frozen donor eggs and frozen donor sperm, provided the laboratory accepts the specimens and has confirmed that the documentation, shipping and storage requirements are satisfied. Fresh donor eggs may also be fertilized with frozen donor sperm.

Fresh and frozen donor-egg programs differ in timing, availability and the number of eggs allocated. Our fresh versus frozen donor eggs guide explains the practical tradeoffs. If frozen sperm will be used, ask the clinic which vial type and preparation it requires before purchasing inventory. You can also review how many donor-sperm vials to consider.

What decisions should intended parents make before choosing donors?

Identity and future contact

Donor programs use terms such as anonymous, nonidentified, open-ID and identity-release, but policies differ. Consumer DNA testing also means anonymity cannot be guaranteed in practice. Review what information the child may receive, whether updated medical information can be shared and when identifying information may become available.

Family-building goals

If intended parents hope for genetically related siblings, they may want to discuss reserving additional eggs, sperm vials or embryos. Inventory can change, and purchasing material does not guarantee that embryos or a future live birth will result.

Medical and family history

Review both donors’ records rather than choosing primarily by appearance or education. Ask how the program verifies family history, communicates health updates and handles new genetic information discovered after donation.

Legal planning

Consent forms and parentage rules vary. Intended parents should understand who controls stored embryos, what happens after death, divorce or disagreement, and how unused embryos may be stored or disposed of. When a gestational carrier is involved, independent surrogacy counsel is also important.

Talking with a donor-conceived child

Professional guidance increasingly supports age-appropriate openness about donor conception. A counselor experienced in donor-assisted reproduction can help intended parents prepare language, records and a plan for future questions.

Does using two donors affect IVF success?

Using both donor eggs and donor sperm does not create a universal success rate. Outcomes depend on factors including the egg donor’s age and response, whether fresh or frozen eggs are used, sperm quality after thawing, laboratory performance, embryo development, the uterine environment and the health of the person carrying the pregnancy.

Donor screening reduces certain risks but cannot guarantee embryo development, implantation, pregnancy or a healthy child. Ask the clinic for results that apply to the specific donor-egg program, laboratory and treatment plan rather than relying on a broad national number.

Questions to ask your fertility clinic

• Does the clinic accept the egg bank, donor agency and sperm bank we are considering?
• Who reviews the two donors’ genetic carrier-screening results together?
• Which sperm-vial type and laboratory preparation are required?
• What records must arrive before eggs or sperm can be shipped?
• Will the clinic use conventional IVF or ICSI, and why?
• What consent, counseling and legal steps are required?
• How are embryos labeled, stored and controlled?
• What outcomes can the clinic share for the relevant donor-egg program?

The bottom line

It is possible to create embryos through IVF using both donor eggs and donor sperm. The process requires coordinated donor selection, screening, genetic review, laboratory planning, consent and decisions about identity, records and future family building. It is different from receiving already-created donated embryos, even though neither option gives the intended parents a genetic connection to the embryo.

Expecting.ai can help intended parents explore egg-donor options, sperm-donor options and fertility providers as they prepare questions for their medical team.

Professional sources

• ASRM: Gamete and embryo donation guidance (2024)
• FDA: Donor eligibility rule and guidance
• National Human Genome Research Institute: Gamete definition

This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individualized medical, genetic or legal advice. Requirements and donor policies vary by clinic, program and jurisdiction.