There are a variety of reasons why a woman might choose to become an egg donor: She might want to help an infertile couple bear children. Or, she might wish to further the advancement of science, or simply score the monetary compensation (about $3,000 to $5,000 per cycle). Whatever the motivation, her eggs are used for in vitro fertilization—they are fertilized by sperm to form an embryo, which is then implanted in another woman’s uterus.

Becoming an egg donor is a long and complicated process, requiring several visits to the fertility clinic. Physicians screen for sexually transmitted and other infections and run blood tests to check for any genetic or psychiatric disorders. Most egg donors are healthy women between the ages of 21 and 35 who don’t smoke or drink. After a woman is chosen, she must undergo fertility treatments to prepare her body for the harvesting of eggs. Women release only one egg per cycle, so doctors give egg donors hormones that stimulate the growth of multiple eggs for about 3 weeks. As a result, donors produce anywhere from 5 to 20 eggs in one cycle. These oocytes are removed from the ovary with a hollow needle in a process called follicular aspiration.

Like sperm donors, egg donors have the choice of remaining anonymous or having their identities made available to couples and their children. Sometimes couples ask a friend or relative to donate her eggs; such donors are called known donors.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. More than half of the time, the donated eggs do not result in a successful pregnancy.
  2. After being fertilized by the sperm, two or three of the healthiest-looking embryos are placed in the woman’s uterus.
  3. Twins and triplets are more common in such cases than in a normal pregnancy because multiple embryos are transferred.