The High Price of Donation

By Jennifer Liss, WireTap. Posted October 7, 2005.

The ad in Jessica’s college newspaper said that she could make $80,000 donating her eggs. But "Jessica"* isn’t the tall blonde the ad called for. And her weight was a strike against her. A size 16, she weighs well over what most egg donation agencies will accept.

What she did have going for her is that she is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. Jewish, Asian and Indian egg donors -- she would learn -- are in great demand.

So at 21 she decided to ditch the agency route and try to sell her eggs on her own. She said she loved the idea of helping infertile couples fulfill their desire to become parents. And the money she made would help her pay off credit card debt.

The first time she made $4,000 and had "the easiest donation of all time." But after the fourth donation she ended up in the emergency room with dehydration. It was her own fault, she says, and giggles over irresponsibly planning a road trip after the donation procedure. By the time she graduated, Jessica had earned $23,000 through egg donation.

Do her parents know she donated eggs for cash? No. Does she plan on donating again? Yes, this winter.

Jessica’s story may be more common than we think, because little is known about college students who donate their eggs. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that they do not collect information on donors’ age, race, income, or education levels.

But we do know that one in six American couples struggle with infertility, and the demand for viable eggs is increasing. Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) procedures performed in the U.S. increased 78 percent from 1996 to 2002, according to the CDC.

Outdoing Nature

"Caroline,"* who used to model, earned a high G.P.A. at a reputable liberal arts college. A three-time egg donor, she pocketed over $20,000 for her efforts. Now 25 and living in New Jersey with her husband and young child, she doesn’t regret a thing.

In many ways, students like Caroline fit the description of a perfect egg donor. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) says that younger women respond more favorably to the hormone medication used during the donor procedure, and their eggs result in higher pregnancy rates. Caroline’s good grades, hot looks, and spotless health history, combined with her young age made her a highly sought-after donor.

Darlene Pinkerton of the egg donation agency A Perfect Match says that 80 percent of her donors are college students. And Dawn Hunt, owner of Fertility Alternatives, says that 90 percent of her donors are college students.

Hunt used to advertise for egg donors in family and parenting publications. But dissatisfied with the lack of response, now she sticks almost exclusively with college publications.

A typical classified ad in a college publication will call for a donor under 29, physically attractive, with an impressive S.A.T. score. It will list a high dollar figure, but usually won't mention the procedure or the legal, medical or ethical risks. (One ad awkwardly and inaccurately encourages students to "donate to infertile couples some of the many eggs your body disposes monthly.")

For about five years the Stanford Daily has run a special classified section reserved for egg and sperm donation ads. Several years ago, a Stanford student suffered a stroke due to a rare reaction to one of the synthetic hormones used in egg donation. The current editor-in-chief does not know if the newspaper received any complaints about the classified section.

How It Works

How does egg donation work? First, a donor is screened for genetic diseases and H.I.V. She then undergoes a psychological evaluation. Once "approved," she is given synthetic hormones to self-administer over a series of weeks.

During a normal ovulation, a woman releases one egg. But the hormonal medication stimulates the donor’s ovaries to produce many eggs -- sometimes a few dozen. This is called "controlled super-ovulation."

Once the eggs are mature the donor receives an injection that triggers ovulation. Thirty-six hours later, the eggs are retrieved through the vagina with an ultrasound-guided needle. The menstrual cycle of both the donor and the recipient have been synchronized. After the eggs are fertilized, the embryos are placed in the recipient’s uterus. Hopefully, a pregnancy will stick.

Jennifer Liss is a writer living in San Francisco.

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