You’ve probably seen the ad in your newspaper: Egg donors wanted. But what really catches your eye is the money being offered. You may also be wondering about the process involved in becoming a donor.
An egg donor can expect to receive anywhere from as little as $6,000 to $10,000 or more per donation. How much she makes depends on her profile. Factors such as ethnicity, height, hair color, complexion, medical history, and SAT scores all matter. The healthier, prettier and smarter she is, the more money she can make. Oh, and she has to be young as well, though not too young; 21 to 35 is the acceptable age range. Certain risk factors such as STDs, obesity, and a history of drug abuse are automatic disqualifiers. It’s just like life in general.
If you’re a guy and you’re reading this, you may be upset at the fact that sperm donors get paid so much less. Men are lucky to get $50 to $100 per sperm donation, and only when their samples meet strict criteria. Women, on the other hand, not only get paid more but they also get paid regardless of whether their eggs can be used.
The generous compensation for egg donors is in part due to the process involved in harvesting their eggs. Donating eggs is not as easy as donating sperm. Prospective donors are subjected to a battery of psychological and physical tests that can take up to a month. This process eliminates up to 90% of all candidates.
Those who pass the tests get to sign a donor agreement. If they get dropped from the program at any point after that, they may only receive partial compensation. Donors who are accepted into the program will have to start by taking fertility drugs on a daily basis for the next four to six weeks. Some of the drugs will need to be injected. Hormone therapy like that can have serious negative side effects. Short term risks include abdominal pain, bloating, and weight gain. There are also long-term risks, including a condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which leads to an enlarged ovary. During this time, the woman has to visit the fertility center multiple times for blood tests and ultrasound monitoring. And then there’s the actual egg procurement procedure itself. The woman has to be sedated while the eggs are extracted using a large thin needle. Since her ovaries are in overdrive as a result of the hormone therapy, there’s going to be more than just one egg, usually fifteen to eighteen eggs in a menstrual cycle. And of course, all of this is going to happen not just once but many times over for months.
Given the kind of commitment that’s required, it’s no wonder that compensation for egg donors is as much as it is. No one’s getting overpaid.
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