I don't know why it would be a problem, if I don't need or want my eggs. I would probably sell my boogers too if someone were willing to buy them.

It's my understanding that most countries have laws against paying women for their eggs because no one really knows the long term effects of the harvesting process, which includes taking (or maybe injecting?) hormones.

I'm personally against any substitute other than adoption for doing things "the usual way" because so many kids need adopting. That said, I see nothing specifically wrong with egg selling if it's a willing, regulated and safe process.

This is one of those instances where I don't see anything wrong with it in theory, but I wouldn't want any of my friends or family members to do it.

Basically, from what I've read in advertisements that ask women to sell their eggs is that they're worth quite a bit of money. In that way, economically disadvantaged women are the ones more likely to go through the experience of ovulation-stimulating hormones, invasive egg procurement procedures (I believe that needles up the vagina are used), and unknown long-term side effects and conditions may result.

I'm with another poster and think egg donation should not be paid, but voluntary. That way, both donors and recipients can know for sure that absolutely no economic coercion has taken place.

And really, this all comes from when a friend was so hard up for money (was about to lose here apartment), she did the research into selling her eggs. Other friends and I were so horrified at the procedures she described that we offered to loan her the money instead. It turned out that a student loan came through, so she didn't need to after all.

I am very grateful to the stranger who decided to take a chance on her health and donate the eggs that allowed me to become pregnant and have another child. She was paid some small amount for her time and trouble, but said she was doing it for other than financial reasons.

I think that if women want to donate or sell their eggs that it should be allowed but there should be no pressure, including financial, and there must be ethical guidelines in place to keep the pressure from occurring.

I bet if they stopped giving money for eggs, than just as many women would still donate. It's the same for blood donation. Here in Canada (Ontario at least) we don't pay people to donate blood. They've looked into starting payments, but they found that some people were discouraged by the payment (it cheapened their good deed) and the donors you gained, weren't always the kind of people you want donating blood! Then again, I think the money offered for blood donation is a lot less than the money offered for egg donation.

I agree with some of the earler comments that it's fine in theory. From what I've heard, the hormone treatment you go through isn't great for you and increases your risk of developing certain forms of cancer later in life. Also, it's pretty invasive. And of course if those who are selling eggs are in desparate financial circumstances then that merits some concern/scrutiny and/or legal advocates for those who are considering selling so that they'll really be fully informed.

What I did find really disturbing was the offers I got when I was a student at Pepperdine. There's an elite fertility clinic in Malibu that caters to the rich and famous and specializes in "designer babies." They would approach scholarship students at Pepperdine and other elite schools in the area and offer a lot of money for their eggs. Somehow they knew my height/weight/haircolor/eyecolor as well as my SAT scores, GPA, athletic stats, etc. At the time I still held a couple of high school track and field records, and had a great score on the SAT, so in their estimation my eggs were worth a lot. I was kind of appalled by the way they determined the value of my eggs, and couldn't imagine the kind of ridiculous expectations the parents who "bought" this kind of baby (no doubt the sperm donor would be vetted in the same way) would have for the poor child. Imagine growing up knowing that if you were average in any way your parents would be totally let down and think you were a waste of money after all. Also, I never could find out how they got all that personal information about me (they even knew I had had knee surgery and that I have a minor genetic thyroid disorder). Apparently if you're willing to pay enough you can buy any information from just about anyone. Depressing.

I also would like to remind everyone that donated eggs can also be used for science, not just used for people who are infertile.

When I was in college there were ads on the back of the Stranger asking for women who wanted to sell their eggs -- I would have been all over that (5 grand is a lot when you're a Freshman in college, unemployed and don't have parents to pay your rent AND buy food, it was one or the other), except for two things: I'm terrified of invasive procedures which egg-harvesting invariably is, and I couldn't bear taking fertility drugs.

Later on I became more opposed to it because I wouldn't want those eggs being used for reproductive purposes since my reasons for not wanting to reproduce extend beyond not being able to carry a pregnancy to term due to some structural deficiencies.

Still, I would have no problem, should I die before menopause, having my eggs and ovaries go toward scientific purposes -- or even to women whose ovaries are unhealthy since I'll be dead and my concerns about having genetic progeny would be moot. That goes for the rest of my body too, and is why I've got the Organ Donor heart on my driver license.

I considered it once. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, even if its done just for the money.

I ultimately didn't do it because of all the drugs I'd have had to take, mostly hormones. That can't be too good for you.

I'm big on personal freedom, so I don't think it should be banned, but it needs more regulation. The problem is they target young women (with less chance of genetic mutation), usually college students so they can list them as "intelligent," and they very rarely tell you what is involved until you are actually at the office, and even then, they'll not tell you how bad the side effects are. The hormones are awful and the side effects can make you have to miss work or class, and sometimes women need to go to the ER from the effects.

If they advertised honestly, didn't contact anyone in particular (Rachel in WY's story is all too commonplace, and disturbing), and covered the full cost of missed work/medical treatment IN ADDITION to the advertised fee, I would be completely cool with it. Wouldn't do it myself, though-- I want children of my own some day, and they don't really know the long-term effects on fertility from the process.

So far this is great feedback. =]

I asked this question because I mentioned to my mother and aunt it is something I would consider doing. My aunt said it was a great thing to do because it would help out a woman or a couple who really wants a baby and can't have one (although I agree with one of the above posts that there is always adoption, but I guess some people want to make a baby the "real" way...). My mother, however, told me if I did that (and I quote), I would "have no regard to human life." I feel the COMPLETE opposite of that - it's helping someone make life who can't.

I'm not sure if it's something I would do - the hormone drugs being the main reason, they really do freak me out. But if it were for my sister, and I were able to do it with work/school etc, I would do it no questions asked.

Anyway.... another question for thought:

Do you think the same regulations, standards, or guidelines do (or should) apply to men who donate sperm?

Sperm donation: no it should have fewer rules/laws, because any regulation on egg donation I think should be constructed around protecting the health and welfare of the donor, and there really is no health impact or risk for a man to donate sperm. The only thing I would support both sexes getting is thorough education about what they are actually doing by providing their genetic material to create a child that they will have no legal rights to whatsoever.

My wife went through IVF three times and the front end egg collection procedure part of IVF is the same thing egg donors go through.

You have to take hormones and other drugs to prepare for about a month. It effects everyone differently, but you can expect mood swings (my wife would get very emotional and sometimes depressed) as well as physical effects like cramps and nausea.

You also have to go into the office frequently (once or twice a week? I don't remember) for them to do a vaginal ultrasound and monitor the follicles on your ovaries to see how many eggs are in there.

The extraction involves an outpatient procedure where you are mildly sedated and they go in with needles through the vagina and extract the eggs.

My wife never missed a day of work except for the day of the extraction, but she's pretty tough, and I think some women perhaps have worse side effects than her.

You would be doing something wonderful to help a couple that can't conceive on their own. My wife's friend went through IVF at the same time my wife did, and when that failed she opted for donor eggs. She now has a baby girl that she carried but is the genetic child of her husband and an egg donor. Her husband would not consider adoption so this was the only way they could have children.

You also should know that the the doctors most likely will fertilize your eggs and then discard the zygotes that don't look like they have the best chance to survive. I'm not making any kind of moral judgment on this, I just think you should know for your own ethical consideration.

Egg donors are heavily scrutinized for intelligence, health issues, even physical appearance. They try to match the donors up appearance-wise with the mother because most people want their child to "pass" as their own genetic child. At least publicly - they don't want to be conspicuously non-traditional families for the most part.

My wife and I are glad that we opted for adoption. We couldn't love our son any more and if you get a good agency they help out a lot with resources to cope with adopting after infertility, as well as being a conspicuous family (we had a trans-racial adoption).

But that was the right choice for us, egg donation or even embryo donation or childless living is the right choice for others.

Whew. Sorry for the long winded post. I guess I got a little cathartic on you.

I have no problem with women selling their eggs. I see it the same way as being paid for plasma. I agree that adoption is a better option but people aren't going to do that. As sad as that fact is, it's the truth. Our society puts an emphasis on the pregnancy process as a rite of passage to becoming a "real" mom.

I don't really want to render a moral opinion about egg donation in theory but there are many things which bothers me about the way that it is done in the U.S.

About two years ago I seriously considered being an egg donor because I need the money, but after filling out a couple of applications to be considered as a donor I just couldn't deal with it. They asked incredibly invasive questions about my parent's jobs and their incomes (I'm 28, I don't know how that could be relevant). They asked me about my breast size and other questions about my body. On some sites your were required to post pictures. I understand that there are some parents out there who are deeply concerned that their child resemble them, but it just feels too much like eugenics. Also, considering that donors are sometimes paid on a sliding scale based on the desirability of their eggs and the couples searching for eggs are overwhelmingly white and middle class, the premium for tall blond thin athletic women is the highest. As someone once said to me, most people who conceive via traditional methods don't ask for the kinds of invasive medical and family histories of their partners as they do of an egg donor.

I'm bothered by the idea of designer babies, though I don't think that egg donation is an inherently bad thing. But the monetary rewards seem inconsistent with the policies regarding other kinds of bodily donations. Hospitals go to great lengths to ensure that organ donors do not receive payment but instead are donating for altruistic means. I question why it is that when it comes to our reproductive systems, this rule doesn't apply?

I have been an egg donor several times, and I have never had any of the bad experiences people seem to think are so common. I think the high fees, the designer babies, and the risks are highly overstated. These are the outliers, the exceptions, not the norm. There are plenty of regulations in place for the donor's protection, and everyone involved is usually represented by an attorney. The latest research shows no correlation between the fertility drugs and higher risks of cancer, as was previously suspected. There is also no evidence that it impairs future fertility, barring a freak accident. It is a fairly invasive process, but the risks are actually very low. It is, however, very time consuming, and considering the amount of trouble the donor puts her body through, I do think compensation is fair. The ASRM has guidelines on what amount is appropriate, and they recommend no more than $10,000. The great majority of clinics and agencies compensate at a much lower level. In my state it's $3,500 no matter where you go. Donating my eggs has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I've met some of the parents and seen pictures of some of the kids, and it really is amazing to know that I was able to help them become a family. I know adoption is always an option, but the truth is that it's not always right for everyone. Adoption is very complicated. Plus, as a woman I know that the experience of carrying and birthing a child is very, very precious. I hope I get to experience it one day, and it makes me really happy to know that another woman was able to do it with my help.

That all said, I do think the industry should be more regulated. Fertility clinics themselves do the best job of sticking to high ethical standards because they are the doctors, but the matching agencies need to be regulated as well. I am surprised to hear the story about being approached at Pepperdine- I can't imagine that happening now. This is such a quickly changing and growing industry, I highly doubt things like that happen with any frequency anymore. I think when matching agencies were newer there were probably more cases of impropriety as people were trying to exploit a new and lucrative industry. It would be good to see some oversight on the agencies so that there can be a way to enforce the guidelines. Even without it though, I think the industry is becoming pretty self-policing. I think a lot of the horror stories out there are a lot of urban legend.

As far as the organ donation thing- I think that is a valid question. I do think that in the case of organ donation it would be a more blatant case of selling the organ than in egg donation. With egg donation the donor will be paid her fee even if no eggs are retrieved, if none of them are mature, or if none of them fertilize, or whatever. An IVF cycle is hardly guaranteed to work. Even in donor cycles the rate of success is still only around 50% at the highest. So the donor is being paid purely for the pain and suffering associated with going through the procedure. I suppose the same could be said for organ donation, but for some reason that small distinction seems to make the difference in my mind.

Re: the doctors discarding your bad looking zygotes- that's just not true. The patient has the authority to decide what happens to the embryos. They can decide to discard ones they don't transfer, freeze them for later use, or donate them. That decision is always with the patient.

The ASRM has guidelines on what amount is appropriate, and they recommend no more than $10,000.

Wow. The clinic that contacted me was paying $27,000 if you were on their short list. That was in 1997, and that was the equivalent of one year of tuition at Pepperdine then. I wonder how much they're paying now?

I would imagine that they pay less now as the industry has changed. Eleven years ago is a loooong time in reproductive technology years. Any respectable clinic abides by the ASRM guidelines now. I also think there is not as much discrepancy in the fee for type of donor anymore-for everything I've seen the only way to raise the fee is if you have donated multiple times, as opposed to for certain traits or characteristics. And I say this as someone with a lot of typically desirable characteristics- white, blonde, blue eyes, law degree, very high IQ.

If the clinic you are talking about is the one I think it is, I may have worked with them. I didn't do a cycle but had a couple asking about my availability, and the fee was $8000. Higher than usual because it would have required me to travel out of state for up to ten days for the cycle. Not too crazy, I don't think.

Thank you all for the awesome feedback! You all rock!