Many women are unable to conceive using their own eggs, usually due to advanced maternal age. As women enter their late 30s and early 40s, they experience a significant decline in the function of their ovaries, generally causing a sharp decrease in egg quantity and quality. To have any hope of having a family,, many of these women require donated eggs to conceive..
At the same time, other women may have different challenges in trying to conceive with their own eggs. Some women have a high risk of passing on a life-threatening genetic disease. In these cases, donated eggs may provide the only reliable means of giving birth to healthy child. Other women have lost their ovaries or ovarian function as a result of surgery to treat conditions like endometriosis or ovarian cysts.
The primary benefit to a woman who donates her eggs is the knowledge and comfort that she has helped another woman achieve pregnancy. Most donors are motivated by their desire to help couples have a family and the compensation received for their time and effort is secondary.
The Donation Process
Becoming an egg donor takes time and commitment. In many ways, a donor becomes a medical patient herself, as she must undergo medical procedures and thus exposes herself to the risks of those medical procedures, although they are minimal in this case.
In return, donors are usually compensated several thousand dollars for their effort and time taken from work or other commitments.
Egg donation follows many of the steps of the IVF process. It is complicated by a variety of factors, including the relative inaccessibility of donors, the difficulty of freezing eggs, and the need to synchronize the menstrual cycles of the donor and the recipient.
Egg donors must be healthy and within a specific age range (usually between the ages of 18 and 32). Most fertility clinics, including ARMS, follow standards and criteria set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Fertility clinics that offer egg donation services must also be in compliance with requirements put forth by the Food and Drug Administration.
Potential egg donors may be:
- Anonymous Donors - Most donors opt to remain anonymous. An anonymous donor gives her eggs to an infertile woman or couple whose identity also remains anonymous to the donor. The donor also receives compensation for her effort, discomfort and time away from work, school or other obligations. Anonymous donors are matched as closely as possible to the physical and other criteria specified by the prospective recipient couple.
- Known Donors - In many cases, the egg donor is a sister, friend, or relative of the recipient. Some recipients recruit donors on their own. To learn more about egg donation at ARMS, including requirements and compensation, please visit our page “Egg Donation Services for Donors.”
