What is it?

Bringing a child into the world takes four important elements: an egg, sperm, a uterus where the pregnancy will grow, and a family to care for the child. Egg donation means that an egg is removed from one person, combined with sperm from another person, often placed into a uterus of a third person, and parented by possibly another person/people. Being an egg donor can mean providing the egg to be part of a pregnancy in someone else’s uterus (a gestational carrier) or it could mean providing the egg and carrying the pregnancy in their own uterus (a surrogate).1

In 1984, the first successful egg donation birth occurred in Southern California at UCLA.2  Since then, this success has been providing hope to those who have trouble conceiving, whether because of infertility, fear of passing down certain genetic disorders, or a ton of other possible reasons. LGBTQ, single, and infertile individuals, with the resources to access this technology, were given a new alternative for creating a family besides adoption and sperm donation. Now, there are many fertility clinics which connect prospective parents with egg donors, gestational carriers, and surrogates.

How does it work?

Though a person with a pussy* is born with roughly two million eggs, only about 400 to 500 will develop to the point where they can be fertilized.3 During a typical menstrual cycle, several potential eggs start to develop. Only one fully develops and is released into the fallopian tube where, in the case of the presence of sperm, it may be fertilized.3 To prepare for egg donation, fertility drugs are used to increase the number of eggs produced in an ovulation cycle to more easily multiple eggs and combine them with sperm to increase the probability of fertilization success.

The eggs are collected through the vagina with a needle guided by an ultrasound. It is a minor surgical procedure and the donor is typically sedated.1 The eggs are then fertilized outside of the body through in vitro fertilization (IVF) where the sperm and egg are combined in vitro, or “in glass” before being placed into a uterus.4 If the eggs are successfully fertilized, they are either directly implanted into a uterus, or can be stored through cryopreservation (egg freezing) to be placed in a uterus later.5

What are the benefits?

Many egg donors report finding the experience rewarding and opt to donate again. Donors typically earn between $3,000 to $5,000 and up to $10,000 in the United States, where egg donation is most prevalent.6  

Egg donation also informs donors about their own reproductive health. The testing done during egg donation and the relative success of the fertilization process can tell the donor how easily they can become pregnant in the future. Additionally, egg donors are often tested for genetic disorders and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to prevent passing these on to the embryos.7

Donors may also benefit from knowing that they helped form a family that might not have been possible any other way. (We found a study that reported this being a common reason donors often choose to donate again, but it was funded by a fertility clinic so while we imagine this is possible, we can’t rely on that information.)

Is it safe?

Scientists aren’t sure yet.

In the short term, there is the possibility of cramping the day of the procedure and subsequent feelings of fullness or pressure, due to the enlargement of the ovaries, for several weeks.1 Conflicting feelings about contact with the child and the emotional process of donation are possible and should be acknowledged and discussed before the donation process begins to ensure the comfort of everyone involved in creating a human together.8

Also, injectable fertility medications given to donors contain follicle-stimulating hormones, which can have negative effects like ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which causes uncomfortable and potentially dangerous symptoms due to enlarged ovaries and fluid buildup in the abdomen. OHSS occurs with mild symptoms in 10-20% of fertility cycles. Mild OHSS can be monitored for and treated, and usually lasts 1-2 weeks. OHSS can become severe in 1% of cases, leading to nausea, vomiting, rapid weight gain, dehydration, blood clots, kidney dysfunction, twisting of an ovary, fluid buildup in the chest, and even death.9

As for long-term effects, according to a white paper from the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, there has been “virtually no research into the long-term health risks of women who underwent ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval in order to become egg donors or to freeze their own eggs for later use.”10 Many women’s health advocacy groups argue that the unknown risk of donating is not made clear to donors and that because they are not fully informed, they cannot give informed consent for the procedure.11

Meanwhile, egg donation is fast on the rise. From 2000 to 2010, the number of donor eggs used for IVF increased about 70% per year, from almost 11,000 thousand to over 18,000.11

Author’s dedication: My father is an older, single gay man, which made it difficult for him to pursue more common means of making a family, such as adoption. So, he turned to egg donation and surrogacy, and eight months later, my twin sister and I were born. Speaking as an egg donor baby, I am very thankful for my egg donor, though I don’t personally know her, for helping my father create the family he wanted. If, whether as a donor or recipient, you choose to pursue egg donation, please be aware of the potential risks, but also the great rewards!