Part II of II
Egg donation is a rising trend among young women and becoming all the more popular by the moment.
The donation of sperm is nothing new to young men looking for a quick buck. However, 10 minutes behind closed doors for $45 is much less invasive than a month of daily hormone injections and a risky retrieval procedure. Even the most "adequate" eggs sell for much more than the most sought-after sperm.
In March 1999, an advertisement placed at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and Yale read: "Help our dream come true. A loving, caring couple seeking egg donor. Candidates should be intelligent, athletic, blonde, at least 5'10," have a 1400+ SAT score and possess no major family medical issues. $50,000."
And that wasn't the only advertisement. Clinics and infertile couples publish ads in newspapers and on Internet Web sites daily. Even classified ad Web site Craigslist.com gets more than 150 want ads for egg donors on any given day.
Ads titled, "Egg Donors Needed: Earn to $10,000 Per Donation w/Reputable Agency," and "Loving Couple in Need of Asian Egg Donor Earn $6,500+" are showing up all over the Web.
"The money is certainly an incentive," journalism major Kathryn Eyer, said. "Getting money makes it easier to go through the very long and painful extraction."
Although compensation for donation can reach up to $50,000 for a few eggs, a survey published in May 2007 in the journal of Fertility and Sterility found the national level of average compensation for egg donors was $5,000.
This ad, found on Craigslist.com, titled, "Jewish Egg Donor Needed, $8,000," includes a list of requirements the couple wants from the donor. It reads: "Urgent demand for a donor of Jewish heritage with brown or blonde hair, blue, green, hazel or brown eyes - Fair Complexion, Slim and Fit, Single, College Education, Professional background a plus, Creative and Bright, Confident, Strength in Math or Business, Interest in the Arts, Love of Music, Athletic and Competitive in Sports, Love of Travel, Social and Warm Personality, Previous Donation a plus, Age 21-31."
"Most people [who place ads] seem to be of a certain class and race," Eyer said. "People want kids who are going to look good and not stand out as much [within the family]. They want them to look like them as much as possible."
Most donation clinics and seeking couples request specific characteristics from prospective donors. A certain type of hair color, eye color, race, weight and height are all things the ads specify. Education, intelligence and talent are also things listed on sites. Couples seeking a woman who is talented in music or dance or has a high ACT or SAT score are often a "must" on advertisements.
The concept of eugenics, or genetic screening, has been a hot discussion topic and has fueled controversy and raised eyebrows by some who question if it is ethical.
"People who are willing to go through such a long and expensive process seem to be people who really want children and will make very good parents," Eyer said. "What I don't understand is people that want kids so badly, but want a certain type. You'd think they wouldn't care."
Stacey Matthews a senior graphic design major said although she is open to the idea of egg donation, she feels anyone wanting children should first look into adoption.
"I think adoption should be their first option," Matthews said. "However, I don't think selling your eggs is a bad thing. I'd have to get all the facts from a doctor, but if it's for a good cause, sure I'd do it."
Matthews added, however, she would want some kind of compensation for the procedure.
Some have speculated in addition to medical risks, egg donation also brings about a litany of emotional risks, especially potential psychological harm for one who donated eggs as a young woman and later finds she is unable to have children.
"It's not like surrogacy where you're carrying the child, but how will donating eggs affect women who know they have children out there?" said Patricia Chavana, a nurse practitioner at the NMSU Student Health Center.
Chavana said she advises young women who are thinking of donating to research the subject thoroughly in a variety of places, not just the donation clinic, because it's their job to recruit young women.
"Research it before you decide to do it," Chavana said.
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