Egg Donor Earnings: How Much Do Egg Donors Make?
There can be plentiful confusion and apprehension when the words “donation”, “earnings”, and “reimbursement” are being used simultaneously, regarding egg and sperm donation. Even with donating plasma and other considered bodily material (hair, skin etc.), can “donation” and “reimbursement” be synonymous? What does donating your eggs mean? Is there any form of compensation from bank to bank? If so, how much do egg donors make?
Read on to discover the benefits of donating your eggs and understand what type of compensation to expect by the end of your egg donation journey!
What does donating your eggs mean?
Before we get into the compensation for egg donation, first, let’s clarify that egg donation is still a donation! Donating in formal terms means money or other goods that are given to help a person or organization. While you would be donating your eggs to an egg bank to freeze for future use, who are we helping when we donate our eggs?
Donor eggs and sperm helps those start a family who are:
- Same-sex couples who cannot naturally conceive on their own.
- Single women who are planning to conceive without a male partner.
- Older individuals who are unable to conceive due to declined reproductive health.
- Heterosexual couples dealing with primary male infertility or female infertility (a person or couple who has never been pregnant after at least one year of trying to conceive) .
- Heterosexual couples dealing with secondary infertility (a couple that is struggling to conceive after successfully having a child).
- Heterosexual couples dealing with unexplained infertility (a couple that has not found a cause for their infertility.)
How much do egg donors make?
So, how much do egg donors make? At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, egg donors can expect to be reimbursed up to $6,000 per donation.
How many times can I donate my eggs?
If donors are reimbursed up to $6,000 per donation, what is the maximum amount an egg donor can be reimbursed? This is based on how many times you choose to donate. Based on guidelines set by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, you can donate up to six times in your lifetime. So, if you were to donate your eggs the maximum six times you could be reimbursed up to $36,000.
Do I get paid per egg or per donation cycle?
It’s all about the donation cycle! A common query among aspiring egg donors is whether they are reimbursed based on how many eggs a bank can retrieve from them, or on just having completed a cycle. With us, all egg donors are reimbursed per donation cycle. As said earlier, donors are not paid per egg or for the eggs themselves. Our clinical professionals typically try to retrieve 10-20 eggs per donor.
What is the Difference between being Paid to being Reimbursed?
We understand that the word “paid” and “reimbursed” can seem like the same thing, so let’s break it down! Reimbursement does not mean that an egg donor is paying ANYTHING out of pocket for screening, medication, or travel expenses. At The World Egg and Sperm Bank, we cover all expenses including:
- Genetic Screening
- Doctor appointments
- Ovarian stimulation medication
- Procedural costs
- Travel expenses if needed (flight, gas hotel etc..)
Reimbursement simply means that an egg donor is repaid for all of the effort it took them to donate, as well as the time they set aside in the 2-4 month process, so egg donors are not paid for the genetic material itself.
Why are Egg Donors Reimbursed?
Egg donation is an incredibly selfless decision to make, not only that it helps someone else start their own family who has lost almost all other options. It does take dedicated time and commitment to participate in the program long term. Egg donation is a marathon in and of itself, not a sprint! Egg Donors can expect to complete:
- An Initial interview appointment.
- In-depth medical screening for hundreds of physical and mental disorders.
- Psychological and genetics review with our counselors.
- Ultrasound appointments
- General physical and STD testing
- Two weeks of self-administered hormone injections
Not only that, but egg donors must undergo an elective procedure in which they will be under sedation, in order to retrieve their eggs, called egg retrieval. Donors must also rest for 1-2 days after the procedure.
Get EGGS-cited about Egg Donation!
Now that we’ve covered the question, “how much do egg donors make?” Let’s start your journey! You can access our online application HERE.
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