How to Get Money for Donating Eggs
Flyers advertising public trash boards for egg donation on college campuses. “Make up to $ 8,000 by helping others” is a typical promise. But even though egg donation pays well and does not require any experience (youth is a plus), the decision is not easy. Your health and fertility can be at risk, the experience can be emotionally challenging, and actual compensation can vary.
Technically, you cannot “sell” your eggs. But you can “donate” them and receive “compensation” depending on the laws of your state and country. Money and good karma can be a game changer, but the egg donation experience isn’t for everyone.
First, seek a soul
A therapist will interview you for an interview to make sure you get a mental health check before most agencies will allow you to sign with them, but there are many questions you should ask yourself first.
- Do you want to help other people become parents?
- How will you feel knowing that there is a child with your genes, but not yours?
- Do you think you want to know them?
- What if they want to get to know you?
- How would you feel if a child with your genes was born to another family, if you later ended up with your children, or were unable to conceive a child?
Once you’ve decided that egg donation is right for you, here’s how to proceed.
Have a basic understanding of human reproduction
People with ovaries deposit about 300,000-400,000 eggs during puberty . You don’t have to worry about running out of eggs due to egg donation. You will lose the same amount, roughly 1000 each month, during your menstrual cycle, whether you donate or not ( and your body may continue to produce more as well ).
Usually only one egg develops completely per month. This egg can combine with sperm to form a new blastocyst, which sometimes becomes the ever-desired human infant. But in the donation process, you will be taking stimulating hormones that cause more eggs from this cycle to ripen so that they can be harvested.
Think about how you feel about unknown risks
Little is known about the long-term health of egg donors . Oddly enough, there are many cases where people have health and reproductive problems after donating, but it’s hard to tell if hormones provoked them or if they would have happened anyway.
For example, after one woman donated 10 times, she contracted cancer and attributed it to donations , and there were several other similar anecdotes when former donors suddenly fell ill with cancer. However, it is impossible to know if donations really influenced their cancer predisposition without peer-reviewed longitudinal studies that are not found in egg donors .
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is also a concern for egg donors. Because hormones donated by donors cause them to ovulate an abnormal number of eggs at a time (ideally 10 to 15, and sometimes more), they run the risk of enlarged and painful ovaries. OHSS is treatable and unlikely to cause long-term complications, but it does take several days of rapid weight gain, severe abdominal pain, and ongoing nausea and vomiting. There is no official data on how often egg donors develop OHSS, but the NCBI estimates that donors who produce 20 or more eggs per cycle have a 15% risk of OHSS .
Qualify as a donor
To donate eggs, you must have a lot of healthy eggs (sorry most men and some women). As a general rule, you should be in good health and have a “normal” BMI. Most US agencies only accept donors between the ages of 18 and 29, sometimes making exceptions for people who have donated before. If you have a history of reproductive cancer in your family, this may also disqualify you for your own health reasons.
When you apply, you will complete a long form about your health and your family’s medical history. The agency wants to make sure you are unlikely to pass on a genetic disorder such as Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis. In some cases, if you are at risk of passing on a gene for a recessive disease, the agency may still accept you and try to match you to a biological father who does not have the same gene (since that gene requires two copies to pass). kind of disease to offspring). Oddly enough, agencies don’t always really check your medical record .
Even if you are not automatically disqualified, the agency may still reject your application, or they may never find parents interested in your eggs. PIs, or Intended Parents, are primarily concerned with the health, attractiveness, and intelligence of their donor in that order. IP compliance is also dependent on supply and demand – for example, Asian egg donors are in short supply and are often accepted with less concern than donors of other nationalities.
Choose an agency
Applying to egg donation agencies is similar to going to universities. You can choose the one you like best, or none, or several, or just a backup. If you are accepted by several agencies, you can leave your profiles in all their systems before calling. Also, if one offers you more money than the other, you can use that offer to negotiate.
You can find agencies on Google and Craigslist, on flyers, and in advertisements in your campus newspaper. Or you don’t need to contact an agency at all – you can donate directly to a friend or family member. However, agencies are experienced in tackling this potential minefield of emotions, laws and health, so it may be safer and easier to get through them.
You don’t have to choose an agency in your state or country. Many agencies will be happy to partner with your local clinic during the stimulation process and then bring you in for retrieval.
Finding a local agency is convenient, but it is also very important to find a reputable clinic that will work with you on a mutually beneficial basis. For example, clinics in some areas pay more than others. You can also ask if the clinic adheres to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s ethical guidelines for egg donors .
While agency acceptance can be quick after paperwork is completed, IP matching can take weeks, months, or years.
Protect yourself and your child
Read the contract you sign with the agency and ask questions about it . If you feel uncomfortable with some parts, talk. Some agencies require you to pay medical expenses if you choose not to donate halfway through. If you cannot afford to potentially lose money, inform the agency that you will not accept this as part of the contract.
If a baby is born from your eggs, you will be the biological mother, but not the legal guardian. You waive all rights and obligations. You cannot tell how a child is being raised, and IPs cannot demand your care.
You can ask for anonymity when donating, in which case the child will never be able to find you, which is the norm. However, you can talk to someone who has been adopted and ask how they feel or will feel if their biological parent requires anonymity, and how important it is for them to have some kind of contact. Is it ethical to help conceive a child but refuse to give your name? (Don’t worry if the child can reach you, he is unlikely to ask for money. Remember that they have wealthy parents who can afford tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in fertility treatments. Plus, you don’t pay. I don’t pay them. should, except perhaps the truth.)
One of the most important ways to understand the ethics of egg donation, protect yourself, and do what’s best for the baby is to research the community and talk to other egg donors. We Are Egg Donors is an Egg Donor Advocacy Group that includes a blog and a discussion group on Facebook. On the blog, you can read about positive experiences, such as how egg donation saved a woman from a future pregnancy . Or, you can read horror stories of pain and drama after a donation . It also contains articles with practical messages, such as from a person who resisted the unfair accusation that her agency was trying to get her to pay .
Complete donation
This process is functionally identical to collecting eggs from someone who wants to freeze them. You inject several medications daily, including hormones, over several weeks to stimulate the maturation of more eggs than usual. You should have regular ultrasound scans for several weeks after injection to see how eggs are forming. Then you get the hormone trigger and they are ready to be harvested. If you donate in another state, you fly to the clinic city and stay there for a few days. You will have a minimally invasive surgery in which the doctor inserts a tube with a suction needle at the end into the vagina through the uterus towards the ovaries. The instrument pierces and sucks eggs from each ovary.
Doctors can then fertilize your eggs with sperm from the donor or intended parent and implant them with either an IP or a surrogate mother. The genes were yours, but the child was theirs.
Finally get your money
How much money you get depends on many factors, including supply and demand. Until last year, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine said compensation in excess of $ 10,000 was “beyond what is needed.” Donors sued ASRM , arguing that there should be no cap on compensation, and ASRM removed this limitation from its ethical guidelines in the final agreement. Agencies in the US often offer around $ 8,000 for their first donation, give or take a few thousand. The second time, donors receive higher compensation if they have a proven track record of completing the cycle and producing healthy eggs.
Supply and demand are the main forces affecting how much a donor can receive. Asian donors receive more than other nationalities, and donors who have gone to the Ivy League and are good athletes can also negotiate higher compensation. Some agencies offer a flat rate, while others are open to negotiation based on the supply and demand for your genes. One couple offered $ 100,000 to the right donor . Donor compensation is considered taxable income in the United States. However, several people appealed and won.
Egg donation can be a wonderful experience for many donors who can feel great about giving the gift of life and who can use the money to fund their dreams or college education. A quick enough $ 8,000 at age 20 can easily change your life. But it’s not as easy as smiling fashion models might appear in egg donation advertisements. Some donors experience physical and emotional problems that make them regret their experiences. Others see it as just a favor for strangers and a quick cash flow. Remember to defend yourself and hopefully it will be the last.