Baby Business Boom

Written by Steve Masler, CEO of Fertility SOURCE Companies

The following article takes a view that desire of young women to donate eggs is related to economic conditions. Baby Business Boom

The article is one of a genre that jumps on a recurrent theme about egg donation, i.e. the subject of incentives provided to young women to encourage them to donate eggs in return for fees for the donors' time, effort and suffering. No doubt, compensation is some degree of incentive for women to donate eggs. Further, the women who donate are undoubtedly young. However, the media bias appears to be towards painting the motivations as strictly monetary and toward suggesting that it is college age women who are doing the donating. The first assumption about the motivation being strictly monetary is far from accurate; the second assumption that donors are generally college aged is inaccurate.

Women who donate repeatedly indicate that though they appreciate the compensation, they would not be donating their eggs were it not for the additional satisfaction of helping someone create a life. Surely no professional is criticized for earning money while carrying out an occupation that they find rewarding and one that provides benefits to recipients. For example, what about physicians themselves, who are generally considered to be well rewarded economically and who usually get much satisfaction out of helping others in addition to enjoying the monetary benefits of their work?

Would-be moralists join the battle with the assumption that egg donors are ill informed regarding risks and concerns about egg donation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone writing a media article on the subject should go through the egg donation process with its multiple disclosures and consents provided to prospective egg donors. Additionally, prospective donors are exposed to countless relevant articles on the web. The assumption that donors are college age, naive young women is also groundless. College age women under the age of 21 are not acceptable as egg donors. Egg donors are generally between 21 and 29 years old and highly educated. Further, a large percentage of egg donations are by donors who have donated previously. It surely can't be said that repeat donors are not informed about egg donation.

There may be no political capital in saying good things about egg donation, but writers should try to write a balanced piece on the subject. 22,000 Intended Parents and egg donors in 2007 thought it was a good idea to give the process a try and if there are any horror stories emerging from those 22,000 cycles, I for one have not heard them.