A FERTILITY clinic is pleading for egg donors to come forward and give the gift of a child to infertile young couples.

The Lakeside Suite at The Chiltern Hospital, London Road, Great Missenden, specialises in in vitro fertilisation treatment (IVF) for couples who need female egg donors.

But because the procedure involved can seem daunting, the clinic is struggling to keep up with the demand of its waiting list.

Nicky Mahoney, fertility unit sister, said: "We don't get many donors come through at all because it is such a complex treatment and purely altruistic.

"It has to be purely because they want to do it. They'll either do it or they won't."

The clinic has between 15 and 20 couples on its waiting list many from around Buckinghamshire.

Norman Taylor, a fertility specialist, said becoming a donor was to take "an opportunity to make an amazing difference to the lives of local couples."

He added: "They just want the chance to have a baby like everybody else."

The majority of infertile couples who contact the clinic are in their 20s and 30s and most of them have been trying to have a family of their own for years.

Clinic patients Jane Tolley, 27, and her husband Will, 31, have been waiting for two years for a chance to start a family.

Mrs Tolley said: "Every month and every year that passes means our chances of IVF working get lower.

"All we can do is keep waiting, hoping that some incredibly kind person will donate us one of her eggs and give us even one chance at having a family of our own."

Donors need to be in good health and under the age of 35.

The journey to becoming a donor is a long one because the women involved have to be sure they really want to go through with it.

After several counselling sessions a donor's menstrual cycle is medically brought under the clinic's control.

The donor is then given daily injections to increase egg production before they are removed and fertilised by the sperm from the recipient couple.

If you would like to consider becoming an egg donor get in touch with the Fertility Unit, The Chiltern Hospital on 01494 892276 quoting ref number 2249.