Donating eggs to couples who are seeking to get pregnant may seem like a noble cause but, as with anything else, there are pros and cons. Many fertile women around the world donate their eggs to egg banks to be used for artificial insemination. Some do it out of the kindness of their hearts, while others for monetary gain. Regardless, egg donation has both risks and benefits. So, whether you’re a recipient or a donor, you should know the pros and cons of the operation first in order to make an informed decision.
List of Pros of Egg Donation
1. It pays well.
Egg donation usually pays between $3,000 and $5,000 per cycle of harvested egg. The rate is comparably higher than what men receive for donating sperms, usually running on average of $100.
2. It gives recipient control.
As the pregnancy will happen in the recipient’s body, she’s in control of important lifestyle factors which will affect the baby’s growth and development such as diet and smoking. This is not possible with surrogacy or adoption.
3. It gives couple the opportunity to experience being pregnant.
For many couple, there is nothing quite like being able to carry a child for nine months, care for him/her, and anticipate his/her birth. The excitement that the birth of a baby brings is incomparable.
4. It gives donors a sense of satisfaction for being able to help infertile couple.
Many women feel happy being able to donate eggs to couple is unable to conceive.
List of Cons of Egg Donation
1. It is expensive.
Donors go through a lot of procedures including fertility screening, taking of fertility drugs to boost their egg procedure, regular visits and tests, and invasive procedure to harvest the egg – and guess who pays? The costs will be transferred to the couple who want to get pregnant. No wonder why artificial insemination is so expensive.
2. It will disrupt your life.
Egg donation means refraining from sexual intercourse for a long period of time. It also means regular visits to the doctor for check-ups and treatments.
3. It might cause psychological problems for the donor.
How would you feel knowing that someone who is biologically a part of you is out there in the world and won’t be a part of your life? How would you feel if the process – after all the expenses – didn’t result in a baby for your host family? Egg donation can cause serious psychological distress to donors.
4. It doesn’t guarantee that desired characteristics will be achieved.
Egg donation brokers usually seek donors according to race, genetics, intelligence and, most of all, physical characteristics. This kind of screening helps couple ensures that the eggs will give them a baby that will closely resemble them in appearance. However, there is no guarantee that characteristics the couple specified will be achieved.
5. It is no longer anonymous.
In some countries, like in the UK, donors’ identity is no longer kept secret. Children born as a result of artificial insemination have the right to find out who their biological parents were when they turn 18. This poses a problem to many donors who do not want any of this connection.
Egg donation offers infertile couples the chance to become parents and, at the same time, provides donors the opportunity to help others who are incapable of pregnancy. Its pros and cons, however, should be carefully considered in order prepare both parties for its lifelong consequences.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
