Belgium’s Egg Donor Crisis Deepens as Anonymity Ends
Belgian fertility centers are reporting a dramatic collapse in egg donor registrations following the government’s decision to abolish donor anonymity, leaving women like Ine (38) unable to pursue their dreams of having a child. The decline, documented by VRT NWS, has forced at least one major hospital to stop accepting new patients for anonymous egg donation treatment.
A Personal Crisis
Ine, a 38-year-old woman from Belgium, needs an egg donor after chemotherapy for breast cancer severely reduced her egg reserve. She also carries the BRCA gene, making her own eggs risky for conception. After finding no donor within her family or friend circle, she turned to anonymous donation at UZ Gent (Ghent University Hospital).
“That they can no longer help me hits hard,” Ine told VRT NWS. “My world collapsed when I read the email. You’ve already been through a whole process against breast cancer. Then you start a real IVF trajectory, which is also not an easy choice. And suddenly everything seems to have been for nothing.”
Ine has now paused her treatment, though she says she keeps hoping for a miracle.
Dramatic Decline Across Fertility Centers
The numbers paint a stark picture. According to VRT NWS, UZ Gent has seen anonymous egg donor registrations plummet from 46 in 2025 to just 4 in 2026, with only 3 donor trajectories started this year. ZOL Genk saw registrations drop from 15 to 3, while UZ Brussel recorded 197 registrations in 2025 but only 81 from January to July 2026—and just 6 approved donors actually began treatment, compared to 42 the previous year.
“At UZ Gent, the number of registered anonymous egg donors has shrunk from 46 in 2025 to 4 in 2026,” said Dr. Frauke Vanden Meerschaut, fertility doctor at UZ Gent. “The year 2026 is not yet over, but the decline is enormous. A registration doesn’t mean the donor is approved. This year only 3 trajectories could be started. So it’s not strange that we can no longer automatically help people like Ine.”
Sperm donor registrations have also fallen significantly across Belgian fertility centers, though the impact is less severe because Belgium relies on foreign sperm banks for over 80 percent of its sperm supply. Egg donation, by contrast, depends almost exclusively on domestic donors due to quality and ethical screening requirements.
The Legislative Change
The crisis stems from the federal government’s decision on February 27, 2026, to abolish donor anonymity for egg and sperm donors. The law change, championed by Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, will allow donor children to request non-identifiable information about their biological parents from age 12, and identifiable data such as name, date of birth, and nationality from age 16.
The legislation follows a September 2024 ruling by Belgium’s Constitutional Court, which found that laws preventing donor children from obtaining information about their biological parents were unconstitutional. The ruling came after Iris Tuijaerts (24), a donor child from Lommel, sued UZ Brussel in 2020 to learn the identity of her biological father.
The push for reform was further amplified by the Danish donor scandal, in which a sperm donor carrying a cancer-causing genetic defect fathered 53 children in Belgium—far exceeding the legal limit of 6 families per donor. The new law also requires fertility centers to monitor their cooperation with foreign sperm banks and report irregularities.
The law is expected to take effect by June 30, 2027, with a six-month transition period allowing centers to use existing anonymous sperm supplies until approximately December 1, 2028.
Announcement Effect and Uncertainty
Fertility doctors say the decline in registrations reflects both the “announcement effect” of the new law and uncertainty about how it will work in practice.
“It will take time to replace the number of anonymous donors with donors who are willing to help as known donors,” said Shari Mackens, fertility doctor at UZ Brussel. “That also requires a changing mindset from us as a society. And sending out the right information.”
Mackens called for a national government campaign to recruit donors under the new ID-release system, noting that individual fertility clinics are currently prohibited from launching public appeals for donors.
Minister Vandenbroucke acknowledged the announcement effect in his response, stating: “We are of course aware that there is an announcement effect: people who only want to donate anonymously will now start reconsidering their attitude.” He noted that the broader crisis around gamete donation, including exceedances of permitted donor limits, may also play a role in declining registrations.
A Difficult Trade-off
The situation highlights a fundamental tension between the rights of donor children to know their biological origins and the practical need for donors to help families conceive. Ankie Vandekerckhove, coordinator of the Afstammingscentrum, emphasized that knowing one’s descent is a fundamental human right. But for women like Ine, the consequences of the reform are immediate and personal.
“The government clearly didn’t think about the consequences of its announcement,” Ine said. “Or at least didn’t think about women who need an anonymous egg donor. You can buy sperm abroad, but for egg donation you have to literally go abroad yourself. Even before the law takes effect, I already feel the consequences of the new legislation.”
What’s Next
With the new law not expected to take effect until mid-2027, fertility centers face a challenging transition period. Doctors are urging the government to clarify outstanding questions about the new system, including how donors will be required to update their health information and how the ID-release process will work in practice.
For Ine, the immediate future remains uncertain. She has explored online forums and Facebook groups in search of a known donor, but so far without success. “I have paused my trajectory for now, but I keep hoping for a miracle,” she said.
As Belgium navigates this significant shift in its fertility landscape, the challenge will be balancing the rights of donor children with the practical needs of prospective parents—a delicate equilibrium that will shape the future of assisted reproduction in the country.