Will I be compensated for being an egg donor?

We understand that financial considerations are not a major motivating factor when a woman decides to help in this very special way. However, we strongly believe that an Egg Donor should be compensated for her time and commitment to her couple. Furthermore, offering compensation allows a couple to say "thank you" for helping them realize their dream of parenting.

What are your Egg Donor Requirements ?

YOU MUST BE:

As with many of the pioneering reproductive technologies, the law continues to struggle to keep pace in defining each party's ultimate role. Egg donation involves the removal of one or more eggs from a Donor, fertilization of the egg by the Intended Father's sperm and the transfer of those embryos to the Recipient Mother or a Surrogate.

To date, there are few judicial decisions or statutes that sets forth the rights and obligations of the participants in these agreements. Under the Uniform Parentage Act, maternity and parental rights may be established by genetic testing, completed adoption process or by giving birth to the child. Thus, in a standard egg donor/egg recipient case, where the egg recipient contracts to receive the egg and deliver the child, her name and her husband's name have traditionally appeared on the original birth certificate. In the case of Buzzanca v Buzzanca 72 Cal. Rptr. 2d 280 (1998), the court decided that the genetic makeup of the child does not necessarily dictate whose names appear on the birth certificate. Instead the "first causes, prime movers, of the procreative relationship" are to be viewed as the legal parents.

It is important that all parties to an egg donation agreement participate in psychological and legal counseling at all stages of diagnosis and treatment in order to assure that the parties have had an opportunity to appropriately examine and evaluate the risks involved in the medical procedures, as well as the legal ramifications of entering into the written Egg Donor Contract. One of the most critical elements of an Egg Donor Contract is the specific relinquishment of parental rights such that the child born under the agreement is considered the legal child of the Intended Parents and to establish that the Intended Parents "consent" to the reproductive treatment. Voluntary and informed consent must be obtained from an egg donor prior to the aspiration, which would include a thorough medical and psychological screening, genetic testing and social disease testing (including HIV).

The psychological screening process plays an important role in obtaining free and voluntary consent for the aspiration of an egg. As stated by an egg donor who was clearly psychologically prepared for the procedure:

"I am not emotionally attached to my eggs. I do not go into mourning every month that I ovulate and lose an egg. I am not giving my couple a baby, I am giving them a chance to create a child. I cannot create their child. It is their desire, action, persistence and sperm that creates the child. If it were not for their desire to have a child, this particular child would not exist. I cannot guarantee that they will have a baby. All I can do is donate my eggs and the rest is up to them and God."

SOME CONSIDERATIONS YOUR CONTRACT SHOULD COVER

•  Establish financial responsibility on the part of the Recipient Couple for all expenses incurred pursuant to the contract.

•  Declare that the Recipient Couple is financially and legally responsible for the child absent a material breach by the Egg Donor or physician malpractice. Additionally, the Recipient Couple shall have full custodial and parental rights to the Child.

•  All parties must have legal, medical and psychological informed consent.

•  All parties must complete social disease testing (including AIDS). Additionally, the Egg Donor must be medically examined and declared medically appropriate for the program.

•  Establish specific responsibilities of each party so as to minimize subsequent misunderstandings.

•  The Abraham Center of Life, Inc. should keep records on all parties in the event information is later needed for legal or medical reasons.

•  Detail legal and psychological framework so all aspects of this process are thought out, considered and pondered by everyone prior to entering into the agreement.

•  Outline confidentiality concerns and provide for privacy for all parties.

What does the medical procedure consist of?

As a preface to this guide, it should be noted that infertility treatment is not an exact science. There are numerous unknown factors and variables influencing fertility, that even with all the advances in reproductive technology, conception remains as much an art as a science.

Each doctor has his or her own protocol, and the Couple or Egg Donor's reaction to the drugs may result in a change in protocol. Provided below is a sample schedule for an Egg Donor and Recipient Couple:

The start of a menstrual cycle is referred to as DAY ONE (1) of the cycle. In an average 28 day cycle, a woman will most likely ovulate around day 14. This means the egg retrieval will usually take place on day 14 and the transfer will take place on day 16 or 17.

According to the treating physician's instruction, the Egg Donor will undergo ovulation induction. It is a procedure that involves the administration of fertility drugs to produce multiple egg (follicle) development. Fertility drugs are administered by injection or sometimes taken orally. There are two drug protocols that typically physicians use.

When the follicles containing the eggs reach the requisite size, an injection of hcG is administered to prepare them for aspiration. Generally, the retrieval will take place 36 hours after this injection of hcG. The egg retrieval/aspiration is performed in a hospital like facility using IV sedation. A vaginal ultrasound probe is utilized for aspiration of all ovarian follicles. This is a non-surgical procedure that takes about twenty to thirty minutes, depending on how many eggs are retrieved. However, the donor should plan to spend at least three hours at the clinic. After a brief period in the recovery room, the Donor will return home that same day.

Following is a sample synchronization and aspiration schedule for an Egg Donor and an Recipient Couple:

Day 1 (start of cycle):
Donor undergoes an ultrasound to examine her ovaries and blood tests to check her hormone levels. She is provided with disposable needles, and several vials of Lupron, an ovulation suppressant that she must inject into herself every morning for the next few weeks.

The drug is administered to the recipient to enable doctors to synchronize her menstrual cycle with the donor's cycle.

Day 5:
Recipient begins taking Estrace pills to develop the lining of her uterus, known as the endometrium.

Day 11:
Donor undergoes another ultrasound and blood tests. She continues taking Lupron and receives a nine-day supply of Pergonal, an ovulation stimulant that will cause her to produce a large quantity of eggs.

Day 12 :
At home, the Donor receives her first injection of Pergonal. Because these injections must be given into muscle tissue, her husband or friend may be recruited to help.

Day 19 :
The Donor's blood levels will be tested and an ultrasound taken to measure the size of her eggs.

Day 21:
After undergoing another ultrasound to check on the development of her eggs, the donor receives an injection of hCG, a pregnancy hormone that helps prepare her eggs for retrieval.

Day 22 :
Recipient receives an injection of Progesterone, a drug that further prepares the lining of her uterus for implantation of the embryo(s).

Day 26-28:
Approximately 2-4 embryos are implanted into the recipient's uterus. The other embryos will have been frozen and stored in nitrogen the day before.

What is the time commitment for donors?

My tubes are tied, can I still be an Egg Donor?