Give a STRANGER my eggs??!

Egg donation.  Not a widely know procedure, but it is definitely out there and being used in our world today.  For couples who are unable to conceive naturally, it is a dream come true.  You may be asking, 'What is egg donation?  I've never even heard of it!'  I shall share with you my extremely professional research :)


Egg donation is where a woman, usually between the ages of 20 and 35, goes through a three month procedure to literally give her fertile eggs to a lady who cannot produce her own eggs.  Ideally, this donated egg will be fertilized, and a baby will be born as a result of this donation.  Since the process is quite abnormal and somewhat intense, the donor is compensated for her time and eggs.  Compensation for egg donation can range anywhere from $4,000 to $12,000! 

The process for the donor begins by very thorough medical and psychological examinations.  If the donor seems to be in good health mentally and physically, she can  proceed in the donation process.  In the case that the donor (or even the donors immediate family) does not have good health, she is disqualified; as the couples who receive the eggs want the best chance possible for a future healthy child.
The next step in this process is administering hormones to the donor.  The donor is usually asked to take a daily shot in the stomach to avoid traveling daily to a doctor.  The final step in this process is the egg retrieval.  The donor is usually put under general anesthesia, and a small needle is inserted to 'suck' the eggs out.  These eggs are kept in a lab and eventually mixed with sperm.  This 'mixture' is then placed in the intended mother, and if everything goes as planned, a baby is born!

Are there any complications with egg donation?  Alice from "Go Ask Alice!" tells us that,

"Potential risks for women egg donors include:

• bruising or hemorrhaging of the ovary from the needle used to retrieve the eggs
• ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome — nowadays a very rare occurrence, this is a series of negative side effects experienced over a two-week period following the release of a large number of eggs. This condition is caused by high hormone levels resulting from hyperstimulated and enlarged ovaries due to fertility drugs, particularly FSH, used for egg growth.
• long-term consequences that are not fully know"

 Ok, so now that you know all the facts, the big question is: would you be an egg donor?