Musings of a Could-Be Egg Donor

When I started working at IntegraMed, I became aware of egg donation and was interested in donating as soon as I heard how much money I could make. Granted, donor compensation varies by region, depending on demand, but to a college student, even the lowest compensation sounded like a fortune!

After a few minutes of reflection, I realized that maybe being a donor was about a lot more than the financial compensation and that I was interested for all the wrong reasons. So, I did a little research on egg donation and found out that it definitely wasn’t about the money, and it wasn’t as simple and easy as I thought.

Here’s what I learned…

Because an egg donor must be producing ample healthy eggs, there are certain aspects that make up an ideal egg donor. Age is considered to be one of the most important factors in egg donation, with an ideal egg donor falling somewhere between the ages of 21-35. As a healthy, 22-year-old female, I am considered a prime candidate for egg donation.

Egg donation, I learned, can be time-consuming, stressful, and complicated at times, and there are risks associated. In most cases, egg donors are required to have many medical visits and screenings, including routine physical, psychological and gynecological exams, family history, blood and urine tests, etc. It is also suggested that donors also consult with a legal representative to ensure that they are aware of their rights and the legal issues associated with the process, however some women choose not to.

Assuming that a donor is accepted into the program (which is not always the case), the donor must then be matched with a recipient and give consent to give her the eggs.

And then the real work begins…

The process that follows is the most intense, consisting of injections of fertility drugs, frequent medical appointments, and eventually a minor surgical procedure to remove the eggs.  The time and involvement it takes to be an egg donor can be consuming, often interfering with everyday life. Also, smoking, alcohol consumption, and sexual activities often need to be curbed during the time the eggs are being fostered. Although this is only an extremely brief overview of the process, it is still a lot more involved than I had imagined.

Despite the complexities involved with egg donation, it can also be very rewarding.

Pay day…

Yes, egg donors are compensated generously in most cases. According to the May, 2007 edition of the journal Fertility and Sterility, the average egg donor receives about $4,217 per cycle. Depending on geographical region, demand varies, and this compensation may be more or less, with compensation usually being higher in the northeast.

Egg donors should be very skeptical, however, of compensation offers exceeding $10,000 a cycle, due to a recent cap on compensations implemented by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

There are other rewards

As a young woman just graduating from college, it’s difficult for me to even think about having children. That being said, however, I can’t imagine being told that I am unable to conceive when I am ready to start a family.

The idea of being infertile and unable to conceive my own children is frightening, and I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be for a potential mother.

Being an egg donor gives young women the opportunity to help other women achieve their dream of having a child, despite their fertility issues.

In the end, I think the decision to be an egg donor should be carefully considered, and depends a lot on each person’s individual situation. Weighing the complex process and the end result can help women decide if egg donation is right for them.

My decision…

After considering what it takes to be an egg donor, I decided that I’m at a point in my life where egg donation isn’t quite for me. Being consumed already with school, work, friends, etc., I don’t think I could make the commitment of being an egg donor just yet. That’s not to say I won’t consider it again, but for now, I’ll be keeping all my eggs in one basket (my own).