What Is Happening to the Price of Eggs?

Abstract

Egg donation and the compensation of egg donors are much in the news these days. In the year 2000 the Ethics Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommended that women providing oocytes be paid a fair amount but not so much that prospective donors will ignore the attendant risks. The committee recognized that there is no consensus on an appropriate fee, but stated that sums of $5000 or more must be justified and that sums exceeding $10,000 are excessive. The authors report the findings of a survey of reproductive medical programs belonging to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Of the 394 SART clinic programs surveyed, 207 (53%) responded and 191 of these had an ovum donor program. Most clinics reported using multiple strategies for recruiting egg donors, including patients' families, donor agencies, and their own recruitment programs. More than 85% of SART clinics offered the same compensation to all paid donors. The overall national average compensation was $4216. Fees were highest in the East/Northeast and West, averaging about $5000, and lowest in the Northwest at $2900. When a maximum fee was specified, the national average was $4576. The range of compensation was wide, with maximum and minimum payments of $15,000 and $1500, respectively. The findings of this survey-the largest performed to date-are encouraging in that a large majority of clinics are following ASRM/SART recommendations when offering monetary compensation to egg donors.