Arizona Republic Series Examines Increasing Compensation For Egg Donation

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 01 Jun 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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The Arizona Republic on Tuesday examined increasing compensation for egg donations in a three-part series. Summaries of the articles appear below:

• "Donating Eggs Creates Nest Egg": The Republic profiled Amanda Hayden -- a 24-year-old who with X & Y Consulting, an egg donor registry, has donated her eggs five times over the past two years. According to the Republic, Hayden for three weeks must inject herself with hormones and must see a physician every other day for ultrasounds and blood tests to determine when her eggs are ready to be harvested. On the day the eggs are retrieved, Hayden is anesthetized and her eggs are removed during a 35- to 40-minute process. While the American Society of Reproductive Medicine says there is low risk associated with the harvesting procedure, there are risks such as loss of fertility and excessive bleeding, the Republic reports. Hayden receives $3,000 to $4,000 per donation and in the past two years has made $16,000, the Republic reports (Snyder [1], Arizona Republic, 5/30).
  


• "Egg Donation Can Offer Chance at Parenthood": The Republic also profiled Jared and Wendy Kennedy, a couple who purchased eggs from Phoenix, Ariz.-based Cryo Eggs International, one of the first frozen-egg banks in the country. The Kennedys purchased five eggs from the company, which cost $3,000 each, the Republic reports. Two eggs were lost during the thawing process, and the couple purchased two additional eggs. The five eggs were fertilized with Jared's sperm and three embryos were selected to be placed into Wendy's uterus. Wendy gave birth to a daughter in January, and the couple plans to have another child using the same procedure (Snyder [2], Arizona Republic, 5/30).
  


• "The High Price of Women's Eggs": The demand for egg donations is increasing payment rates for egg donors and also is raising ethical and legislative concerns, the Republic reports. According to Drew Moffitt, president of Arizona Reproductive Medicine Specialists, some Phoenix-based companies are offering women as much as between $7,500 and $10,000 per donation cycle. The price inflation has led some people to call for greater legislative protection for potential egg recipients and has raised ethical concerns about egg donation and reproductive medicine, the Republic reports (Snyder [3], Arizona Republic, 5/30).

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