Monday, September 17, 2007

Rise in Egg Donation Shocking?

I don't think anybody is really surprised that egg donation is on the rise, considering that women, for a variety of reasons, are having children later and later. Biologically, it becomes more difficult for a woman to conceive her own genetic child the older she gets. Further, more gay and lesbian couples are choosing egg donation and surrogacy over adoption to create their families, especially in California, where the laws are very favorable to all couples, whether heterosexual, gay or lesbian.

What is surprising is that in a recent article the donor's friends found it surprising that the donor would consider it. While I had a failed egg donor cycle, I considered egg donation while a student at UCLA. I got busy and forgot about it, but I remember reading the add and thinking that is sounded like a great idea. Now, I work with young women who donate their eggs to help create families for couples struggling with their fertility. It is a precious gift that these young women give. Yes, they get paid, and sometimes well above the ASRM-recommended $10,000, but they also inject themselves with powerful hormones and undergo a medical procedure under general anesthesia. They should get paid.

One other note about the article: while most IVF centers will only work with donors 21 years of age and older, there is no legal requirement that a donor must be 21 years old. IVF Centers are concerned about maturity, but age alone is not the only factor that determines a young women's ability and maturity to understand the egg donation process. Please click here for: Women: Can you put a price on your eggs? Willing donors increase nationwide by By Mindi Westhoff.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got pregnant at the age of 16 and realized that I was not ready for a child. I then made the decision to make an adoption plan for him. I realized that there were several thousand couples in this country who are unable to have kids. I am fascinated with the numbers of women who are unable to have children and the number of teens who "terminate" their prgnancies.
I am 18 now and would like to donate my eggs to science...yet I am unsure if there are any clinics who will allow anyone under 21 to do so.

Stephanie Caballero said...

I am not sure if there are any clinics that would allow you to donate your eggs to research under the age of 21. I would contact ASRM as they may have a list of research facilities that you can contact. Best of luck to you!