From the standpoint of a young woman — one still paying off college debt, especially — selling eggs to an infertile couple for $5,000 to $10,000 sounds like a win-win situation. But recent controversy around the business of buying and selling eggs might make you think twice.
Besides the ethical issues of "desirable donors," with ads targeting women with high SAT scores and who attend prestigious universities, a new study questions whether all those zeros are blinding women to the mental and physical risks of egg donation. The American Society For Reproductive Medicine recommends compensation not exceed $5,000, except in special cases, but some ads promise $35,000, even as much as $50,000 to "extraordinary" donors.
While the money is tempting, the time-consuming process and unpleasantries, such as hormone injections, surgery, local anesthesia, and life-threatening side effects, leaves me wondering if it's worth it. How much would it take for you to donate your eggs?
