Are you looking for an opportunity to earn money without learning a new skill?
If you’re a woman between the ages of 21 to 35 years old, consider donating eggs to fertility clinics and agencies.
Fertility centers pay egg donors thousands of dollars per donation cycle, making this a lucrative earning opportunity for most women.
If you’re interested, this guide shows what you need to prepare, how much you can earn, and what else you need to know about egg donation.
Learn how to become an egg donor with this complete guide, and help others achieve their dream of having a child.
An Overview of an Egg Donor: A Primer
An egg donor donates their eggs to fertility centers to help aspiring parents conceive a child.
Clinics have specific requirements for egg donors, but generally, they must be female between 21 to 35 years old and have a healthy mind and body.
During egg donation, they undergo various tests such as a physical exam, psychological tests, and genetic screening to ensure their eggs don’t carry any medical or genetic disorders.
Donors must also receive hormone injections days before the egg retrieval to help them produce healthy eggs.
Since egg donation involves a tedious process, donors are getting paid to donate eggs.
This compensation also covers medical fees and expenses throughout the egg donation process.
Unlike surrogates, egg donors don’t carry the baby and only provide the eggs to help conceive a child.
How Much Do Egg Donors Make?
Clinics pay donors for their time and efforts. Egg donors usually receive compensation between $5,000 to $10,000 per egg donation cycle.
However, rates vary depending on the clinic, the donor’s experience, egg quality, and location.
For example, the UCSF Ovum Donor Program pays egg donors $14,000 per cycle. Meanwhile, West Coast Egg Donation offers a base compensation of $8,000.
Also, egg donors receive compensation for travel expenses, attorney fees, insurance, airfare, hotel accommodations, and other expenses related to the egg donation.
The clinic or intended parents usually cover these expenses to ensure donors will be in their best condition during the process.
What You’ll Need to Become an Egg Donor [& Associated Costs]
Before becoming an egg donor, prepare the following to help you have a safe and successful egg donation.
- Internet-connected Device: Use an Internet-connected smartphone, computer, tablet, or laptop to search for nearby fertility clinics. It’ll also help you check for requirements, submit your application, and talk to the clinic during egg donation.
- Healthy Body: Clinics require donors to have a healthy body to donate eggs. It means you must be free from certain physical and genetic illnesses. You’ll undergo tests to verify this.
- Sound Mind: Egg donors must also be in good mental condition since egg donation has ethical, emotional, and social ramifications. Clinics have psychological screenings to help donors understand and process these ideas before donating.
- Health Information: Fertility clinics will ask for information about your background during your egg donor application. It includes your family history, medical history, sexual activities, and history of substance abuse. Be prepared to share sensitive information with the clinic.
- Friend or Family Member: Have a friend or family member ready to assist during the screening and donation process. You also need someone to bring you home after the egg retrieval procedure, as you may still be weak afterward. Overall, having someone with you can help you mentally, emotionally, and physically.
How Much Does it Cost to Become an Egg Donor?
Egg donors don’t pay for anything, as the clinic or the intended parents pay for necessary expenses.
Most clinics compensate or reimburse the donor’s travel expenses, especially if the donor lives outside the clinic’s state or city.
Clinics or prospective parents also pay for medical insurance and lawyer fees.
Is it Hard to Become an Egg Donor?
Becoming an egg donor can be challenging, despite having no required skill or experience.
Egg donors must pass a tedious screening process involving medical, genetic, and psychological tests.
Once they pass, they must make several medical visits to prepare for egg retrieval.
During this stage, they must consume fertility medications and refrain from sexual activity to avoid getting pregnant.
A few women may also experience ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a side effect due to the medications.
Overall, the process involves time, effort, restrictions, and possible side effects for the egg donor, making it challenging for some.
How Long Does it Take to Become an Egg Donor?
The egg donation process can take weeks to months, from submitting your application to undergoing the egg retrieval procedure.
Several factors can affect the length of your egg donation. First, donors must wait for a parent to choose them.
And second, they must undergo a lengthy screening process and medications for two to three weeks to check their condition and stimulate the growth of eggs in the ovaries.
Then, donors must do self-injection for ten days.
Overall, the egg donation process can take around 36 to 37 days after being chosen by the intended parent.
That said, being an egg donor would not be considered a quick way to make money.
How to Become an Egg Donor in 5 Simple Steps
Follow these steps to become an egg donor today!
Step 1: Find a Clinic or Agency
Becoming an egg donor starts with finding the right fertility clinic or agency. You can find many centers throughout the U.S. and across the world.
Some of the best places to sell eggs include Santa Monica Fertility, Generation Next Fertility, and Mid-Iowa Fertility. However, feel free to find fertility clinics or agencies near you.
Remember that each clinic has its specific egg donation process; some may offer more compensation than others.
Consider all your options carefully, and see which clinics suit your needs best.
Step 2: Submit Your Egg Donor Application
After finding a suitable fertility center, complete and submit your egg donor application online.
Most clinics and agencies require prospective donors to create an account on their website as part of the application.
Some application forms ask detailed questions about your medical and family history. Some centers also require applicants to take quick medical tests during the initial screening process.
But before completing your submission, ensure that you meet the agency’s requirements before applying.
The general requirements include:
- Aged between 21 to 35 years old
- Normal weight with a BMI of < 30
- Having a regular menstrual cycle
- Non-smoker
- Healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally
- Doesn’t use any birth control
- Hasn’t contracted STD within the past 12 months
- Doesn’t carry any inheritable genetic disorders and diseases
- No history of substance use
- Available for frequent office and medical appointments
If you pass these requirements and the application, you become part of the clinic’s donor database.
Step 3: Match with a Family and Take a Medical Screening
Know that it usually takes time to match with a family, especially if your traits or conditions don’t have a high demand.
But once you match with an intended parent, you’ll undergo a more thorough interview and egg donor screening to ensure you’re physically and mentally fit to donate eggs.
The process includes a physical exam, a test for infectious diseases, and a psychological screening.
Ultimately, the doctors will ensure you can produce quality eggs and handle the psychological aspects of donating eggs.
Once cleared, you must sign a consent form and contract.
A lawyer will assist you in understanding the donation process, its ethical implications, the compensation, and other legal matters.
Step 4: Undergo the Egg Donation Process
After signing the contract, the egg donation cycle begins, and you’ll prepare to undergo egg retrieval. It includes taking oral contraceptive pills to prepare your body.
Then, you’ll self-inject hormones for two weeks to help you produce multiple eggs.
Doctors will monitor your health and egg follicle growth through blood tests and ultrasound. The preparation requires you to make frequent clinic visits.
After producing the eggs, the doctor will trigger ovulation, and egg retrieval will happen after 36 hours.
Step 5: Have the Egg Retrieval Procedure
During egg retrieval, an anesthesiologist puts you to sleep. The procedure takes around 30 minutes with no incisions or stitches. It should be painless.
After collecting the donated eggs, the doctors will immediately transport them to the IVF lab to locate, isolate, and store your eggs.
Meanwhile, you can recover in the clinic for an hour and go home with a companion. You’ll also receive your compensation in full after the procedure.
Depending on your body, recovery can take days or weeks. Avoid strenuous activities after the procedure to heal faster.
Reasons to Consider Becoming an Egg Donor
If you still don’t know if you should try this opportunity, consider the benefits of donating your eggs.
- Lucrative Payout: Egg donors receive up to $10,000 per cycle, making it a profitable side gig for women. Some even offer higher fees if your ethnicity, features, and other traits have high demand.
- High Demand: The need for donor eggs increased in recent years, resulting in many clinics looking for donors globally.
- Opportunity to Help: Becoming an egg donor means giving single parents, heterosexual couples, and LGBTQ+ couples a chance to bear a child and start a family.
- Free Medical Exam: The donation process involves various free medical tests to ensure donors don’t carry any genetic diseases that the future baby will inherit. Clinics will test for infectious diseases like Syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Gonorrhea. The tests also include a psychological screening.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Eggs Can a Woman Donate?
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommends limiting donating six cycles per egg donor.
Will the Donor Egg Look Like a Baby?
No. The collected eggs will still look like egg cells when harvested.
Meanwhile, the baby from a donor egg will not resemble its intended mother since the baby doesn’t share any genes with her.
Similar Gigs to Check Out
If becoming an egg donor doesn’t suit you, explore the following gigs instead.
- Get Paid to Donate Sperm: Men can also get paid to donate their sperm and help others start a family.
- Get Paid to Donate Blood: Earn a few bucks donating blood, help save lives, and improve your blood pressure.
- Get Paid to Donate Testicles: Consider donating your testicles, helping others who need them, and receiving some health benefits.
Wrapping Up
Becoming an egg donor allows women to help other women and aspiring parents conceive and have a child.
Plus, it provides lucrative compensation for every successful donation, making it an ideal side gig.
However, remember that egg donation requires time and effort, and you must be ready to commit.
Nonetheless, egg donation provides an excellent chance to earn money and make a difference in other people’s lives.
Do you want to become an egg donor? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Also, if this article helped you, don’t hesitate to share it with others who might want to become egg donors.
