Almost half of UK women would consider donating their eggs to help someone else have a child, according to new research.

The nationwide poll of 2,000 women from TFP Fertility found 49% would be open to egg donation, showing millions of women are willing to help others become parents.

The research comes ahead of World IVF Day (July 25th), as experts raise awareness of the role egg donation plays in IVF treatment. For many people unable to conceive using their own eggs, donor eggs provide the opportunity to start a family.

Despite a willingness to donate, the findings show more than seven in ten (72%) women know “not very much” (60%) or “nothing at all” (12%) about the process.

Among the 49% of women willing to donate, the data shows that most are motivated by a desire to help others.

More than half (57%) said their main motivation would be helping someone struggling with infertility, while just under half (48%) said they would donate to help another person experience parenthood.

More than four in ten (43%) simply said they wanted to make a positive difference to someone else’s life, while women are most likely to donate to a sister or family member (53%), followed by a close friend (44%).

Encouragingly, four in ten (40%) said they would consider donating their eggs to a stranger experiencing infertility, while almost three in ten (29%) would donate to help a single woman become a parent.

Among the 27% of women who would not consider donating, the biggest barriers are concerns about the medical procedure (35%), not knowing enough about how egg donation works (34%), and feeling uncomfortable knowing a child would be genetically related to them (33%).

Meanwhile, around one in six (16%) incorrectly believed egg donation could affect their own future fertility, something experts say is a common misconception.

The remaining 24% of respondents said they were unsure about whether they would be willing to donate or not, potentially indicating an egg donation education gap.

Dr James Hopkisson, UK Medical Director at TFP Fertility, said: “It’s very encouraging that so many women are open to helping another person start a family through egg donation.

“Many women want to experience parenthood but are unable to do it without the generosity of a donor. This selfless act is what sits behind every egg donation.

“However, many women simply don’t know enough about egg donation to make an informed decision, while others are understandably put off by misconceptions about the process.

“One of the most common myths we hear is that donating eggs could affect a woman’s own fertility in the future. It doesn’t. Women are born with hundreds of thousands of eggs and only a small number develop during each menstrual cycle. The eggs collected during donation are those that would otherwise naturally be lost that month.

“Egg donation is a carefully regulated process, with extensive medical screening, counselling and support throughout. By improving understanding of how it works, we hope more women will feel empowered to explore whether it’s something that’s right for them.”