Women lured into cash for eggs
A new documentary, "Eggsploitation" covers the serious health hazards involved in paid egg donation, and the exploitation of young women who sign up in the hope of making large amounts of money quickly.US egg donation ads
US college campuses are filled with ads seeking young women willing to donate their eggs in return for large sums of money, in some cases these sums promised can be as much as $100,000 a time.
Serious health complications
However, the women are not told of the serious health risks that can arise from complications in the procedure; basically when things go wrong. Such complications can be life-threatening and include ovary loss and stroke.
Egg donation process
The egg donation process involves takes several weeks (unlike sperm donation) of hormone injections that are meant to stimulate the ovaries. This is then followed by the actual surgical extraction of the eggs carried out using local anesthetic.
OHSS
The stimulation process can lead to "severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in about 1% of cases. OHSS can lead to other complications, such as thrombosis, stroke or a heart attack. Other lesser risks include internal bleeding and pelvic infection both a risk from the actual egg removal procedure.
Fertility industry standards
The fertility industry has agreed standards and guidelines, these include the amount of payment that can be made to egg donors. The current guidelines state that $5,000 to $10,000 (in certain special circumstances) per donation. However, advertisements promising $35,000 - $100,000 are considered unethical.
Payment & SAT scores
However, a recent study found that the guidelines on payment are being breached and that students with higher SAT scores are being offered more money.
Eggsploitation
The documentary was made by Jennifer Lahl, a registered nurse and founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network.
Read the full story at: washingtontimes.com