When you think of the word ’donation,‘ the initial reaction or response is to think you are giving something away. The official definition according to Merriam-Webster is: something (such as money, food, clothes, etc.) that you give in order to help a person or organization. So why do then egg donors earn money? Leading women to wonder, “Can I sell my eggs?”
Can I sell my eggs?
The simple answer, no. The truth is that women who donate their eggs are, in fact, donating their eggs to another, anonymous, couple. However, egg donors are usually compensated for their time and efforts (not their eggs).
At Shady Grove Fertility, egg donors and egg donor recipients have no contact with each other and, once the eggs are retrieved, the egg donor is not informed about the results of her donated eggs.
Investment of Time and Efforts for Egg Donors
The time investment is significant for each woman who is interested in becoming a Shady Grove Fertility egg donor. On average, the process of becoming an egg donor takes 4 to 6 months and includes a very detailed screening process that is comprised of a two-part application, a social worker visit, taking 2 days off of work, and an overall lifestyle change as they prepare their body to produce enough eggs to donate, not to mention 10 to 12 early morning monitoring appointments, injectable medications to stimulate the ovaries, and the surgical retrieval procedure.
Each egg donor essentially goes through the same process as a patient who undergoes in vitro fertilization (IVF), just varying doses of medications. During the course of taking the injectable medications, which help your ovaries mature more (existing) follicles (resting eggs), egg donors must live cautiously. They are required to refrain from intense or extreme exercise, drinking, smoking, or sexual intercourse.
Inside Egg Donation
We have found that despite compensation, women who become egg donors are very highly motivated for altruistic reasons—to help another family and give a gift that is truly priceless. According to one anonymous egg donor, “I didn’t even know I could get paid when I did it the first time. To me, donation means you are donating out of the goodness in your heart, not necessarily because you’re going to get paid.”
If you have ever wondered, “Can I sell my eggs?” Please call 1-877-Donate-Eggs to receive more information about egg donation.
