Looking For 10K? Donate Your Eggs To Research
Posted by: Carrie Wasterlain
Filed in:
news
11:50AM, Friday June 26th 2009
Looking to make a quick (or not so quick and kind of painful) buck in the recession? New York State is now offering stipends of up to $10,000 to women who donate their eggs to stem-cell research. Researchers are enthralled by this idea, as it means more experimental eggs for them, but some critics fear this new egg market will lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women.
A Catholic priest who opposes the decision explained:
“I think it manipulates women. I think it creates a trafficking in human body parts. With the economy the way it is, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that when a woman is looking at receiving up to $10,000 to sign up for research project, that’s an undue inducement.”
Others argue that the payment is appropriate, and that to not pay women for their donations would be discrimination. Proponents hope the monetary incentive will encourage more donations to what seems to be a promising field in biomedical science; embryonic stem cell research could lead to cures for diseases like diabetes, paralysis, and Parkinson’s.
But before you decide to invest your eggs, remember to read the fine print: “Donors must undergo weeks of hormone injections to stimulate their ovaries to produce eggs and then a painful procedure to extract the eggs,” reported The Washington Post. Ouch!
Personally, I feel uneasy at the thought of giving away my eggs. Not because I believe experimenting on embryos is murder—as some do—but because, well, they’re my eggs! But I guess if you’re looking for ten grand, you might want to give it a second thought.
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CraftLass
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 12:00 pm: [report]
It’s funny, that’s $2000 more than all the ads I see for fertility clinics looking for eggs to implant. I debated donating mine, as I’m childfree by choice and won’t be needing any, thank you very much, and know second-hand the pain of infertility from close friends. When I looked into the harvesting process and all the sacrifices you need to make before the harvesting, I kind of feel like it’s nowhere NEAR enough money, though.
Still, as a person with nerve damage that has been told her only hope for true relief may come from stem cells, it sounds a little more personally worthwhile. I wonder if the age limits are the same as fertility clinic donations? I’m 1-2 years too old at this point for the latter.
Symian
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 12:24 pm: [report]
I’m all about research. Anything in the wrong hands can cause trouble, but I’m of the opinion that so many more people can be helped when the right people have the information. I would be willing to sell my eggs, legs, and probably a kidney if that meant that science would be able to help someone in the future.
Riley
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 12:46 pm: [report]
Man, wish my stuff was worth this much. I can’t get anyone to take it for free, much less pay for it.
amorsalado
wrote on June 26 2009 @ 01:45 pm: [report]
I have been undergoing infertility treatment/IVF cycles for longer than I want to contemplate. Obviously it has not as yet worked, since I’m still on the roller coaster. My next step, actually, is donor eggs, and I’ll be beginning that in two weeks.
I would like to point out, however, that the act of actually harvesting/retrieving the eggs is NOT really painful. They put you out, do a procedure that is exactly like a cyst aspiration; you wake up, and you go home. Of my three experiences, I only even had a little bit of mild cramping afterward one time, and it only lasted for a couple of hours.
The stimulation is only two weeks of hormone injections. While hormones are never fun, this is also not much worse than PMS/a usual monthly cycle. They make it sound so much worse than it is, and that makes me rather angry. Unless you’ve been the woman on the table, I don’t think you’re qualified to write an article saying it’s painful.
As for egg donation, obviously I’m all for it. Be it for reproduction or research.
sparklestar
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 02:34 am: [report]
I looked into it and found that women have died from overstimulated ovaries. I am sure it would be safe in the majority of cases but the risks far outweigh the money to me.
I’d need to follow a course of hormone treatments? Have regular poking of my ovaries? No thanks, I’ll keep my eggs and be poor.
Fast Eddie
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 06:31 am: [report]
There are people in third world country’s selling one of their kidneys for far less then $10K. So what’s the big deal. The media hypes it and the crowd roars.
Infamous
wrote on June 27 2009 @ 07:03 am: [report]
Wait, so it’s only for women who live in New York? Crap.
MoonBabye
wrote on June 28 2009 @ 02:37 pm: [report]
Just tell me where to go. I almost did it a few years ago but had a change of heart. Maybe the second time’s the charm?
semolina
wrote on June 29 2009 @ 09:28 pm: [report]
I have donated my eggs twice and the process actually was very painful for me. I had a mild case of OHSS each time. It’s different for everyone. You don’t know how your body will react until you donate.
fordg
wrote on August 6 2009 @ 03:51 pm: [report]
I would also like to donate- I already have two beautiful children- can anyone recommend the name of a clinic? I’m from VA and we don’t have many around.thanks
amorsalado
wrote on August 6 2009 @ 03:57 pm: [report]
@fordg-if you aren’t close to any reputable clinics, you might wanna look into an agency. I know a lot of people who have gone through agencies for their donor eggs.
*sam*
wrote on August 6 2009 @ 08:45 pm: [report]
whoa, whoa WHOA!! you mean to tell me that I can receive up to TEN GRAND for my eggs that are just sitting around and being cycled through!!! you mean those babies (ha!) can get a job!!!
where do I sign up?!?!? seriously. I live in NC, how do I find an agency!?!?!
Coral
wrote on August 6 2009 @ 08:57 pm: [report]
I am in the process of donating my eggs, because I am having a lot extracted anyways to keep in an egg bank, so I thought I might as well donate some as well. But because I live in Boston, there are many ways for me to donate easily.
amorsalado
wrote on August 6 2009 @ 09:29 pm: [report]
@Sam-here’s a step by step of what a donor has to do/criteria that has to be met: http://egg-donation-directory.blogspot.com/2007/05/step-by-step-procedures-used-in-egg.html. On the right is a link to donor agencies and ART clinics by state.
That isn’t a complete list though. I found a bunch more by googling “donor egg agencies North Carolina”.