When my body was pumped full of hormones to stimulate my ovarian follicles — matured for the purpose of giving another woman a chance to be a mother — part of me changed as well. For the first time in my life, I had a desire to be pregnant. I started to think about carrying a child and being a mother in a very different way. Dialogue began between my wife and I and our plans for future parenthood took a different path.
Read MoreRecently, I made what some would call a “bold choice” by trying to find the families who received my donated eggs. I wrote an article titled “To the Parents Raising My Eggs,” which was meant to reach out to those families and hopefully encourage them to contact me.
Read MoreMartene is a South African egg donor and a member of We Are Egg Donors. She is an active egg donor who has traveled internationally for her egg donations. While the recent cycles have been smooth and positive, her first cycle was a different story
Read MoreI live in the UK, where egg donation is completely altruistic — meaning an act done purely to help another person with no financial reward.
Read MoreWhen I stuck to my guns about my compensation, my agency said “We’re not in the business of trying to just take money from parents.” It was a subtle accusation, but I couldn’t shake the idea that that’s exactly the business they were in. My agency would be making a lot of money off my body from a couple who could afford to pay the fee.
Read MoreUnfortunately, no one is doing the longitudinal research on health outcomes that we are all waiting for. There are still some great opportunities for donors to contribute to the knowledge base on egg donation.
Read MoreJoLana Talbot donated eggs anonymously because she was not offered any other option. One thing we’ve learned since starting We Are Egg Donors is that this is a pretty common experience. What is uncommon about JoLana’s story is that she got the chance to connect with her ‘donor daughter,’ Brittan, 16 years after donating eggs. Even more unusual, JoLana and Brittan met in person for the very first time on Katie Couric’s daytime television show. The episode will air Wednesday, June 11 (find your local station here). JoLana filled us in on what it was like to meet a child produced from her donations. Check it out!
Read MoreI spent years abusing cocaine and marijuana to deal with severe depression, anxiety, and anorexia. I spent a month in a psychiatric hospital ten years ago, and I still take prescription mood stabilizers twice a day. My family history includes ovarian cancer, schizophrenia, autism, substance use, and obesity. But last year I was struggling to make ends meet and support a household with a salary of $30,000 in New York City. So I lied my ass off to become an egg donor.
Read MoreAs a result of invisibility and stigma around egg donation, many egg donors struggle to find ways to talk about our experiences with people who are supportive and understanding. Sometimes even our loved ones are at a loss for words when we disclose that we are in the process of donating our eggs or that we have donated in the past. I asked a group of egg donors about some of the uncomfortable questions and comments they’ve received in conversations about donating. Based on their answers, here are some things to avoid saying when talking to an egg donor.
Read MoreI decided to donate my eggs for the first time last year. Once I was matched with a set of parents, I told my employer, whose staff encouraged me to write about the experience. At first, I thought my experience would make for a lighthearted Sunday feature story, but as the donation process dragged on, the story changed into something very different.
Read MoreI have compiled a list of things that you may want to consider when reviewing your egg donor agreement. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Depending on the specific terms of your agreement there may be other things you may want to consider. There is no substitute for having your own legal representation!
Read MoreThis interview is about stigma, being queer, and navigating a heteronormative medical landscape. While egg donation is presented as a simple clinical procedure, there is a lot of room for reducing stigma and acknowledging a fuller scope of, you know, how people actually feel about it. To some of us, our narratives are more complex than “wham, bam, thank you for your huevos, good job, here’s a check, you’ll be fine, good bye.”
Read MoreTax law will soon be clearer on how compensation from our egg donations will be treated for tax purposes in the United States. Throughout these last few months, We Are Egg Donors has fielded dozens of emails from U.S. donors regarding the appeal process. Our Forum has been a-buzz with donors discussing how they were advised by their individual accountants. Soon, the mystery surrounding unwelcome 1099s will be clarified, if not disappear.
Read MoreFertility doctors have assured donors for years that egg donation will not ‘give you cancer’ or even increase your risk. Of course, the vast majority of egg donors do not have a family history of premenopausal breast cancer. But we must ask, what other risks will surface in the future?
Read MoreI’ve wanted to write this article for such a long time.
Egg donation tends to be a sensitive subject for many different reasons. I’m going to share my story here in all aspects – the good, the bad, and the things I wish I knew before I started.
Read MoreIt’s been said that it’s easier to open a human egg brokerage firm than it is to open a food truck business in the United States. The result? Clinics and agencies run themselves as they please. Unfortunately, this can leave egg donors feeling more like a product than a real patient.
Read MoreSkyping with the Australian clinic felt contradictory. I felt extremely confused during the interview because my interviewer kept referring to my egg donation as “altruistic.” To me, “altruism” means giving a gift, in this case it would be my eggs, but I wasn’t exactly altruistic because I would be getting paid.
Read MoreCommunicating with my doctor was a challenge; even though he really did try his best, he didn’t understand everything I was saying. I had never donated before and I had a lot of questions. But because of the language barrier, I had a really hard time getting answers. In retrospect, it would be a lot safer for egg donors if there were a translator who could make sure that pertinent medical information is being communicated, both ways.
Read MoreKylee* is an American egg donor who flew to Canada four times to donate her eggs. On her fourth trip, she was unexpectedly held up in customs, accused of illegal egg selling.
Read MoreAs a donor you are helping someone increase their chance to have a baby, but shouldn’t involve a sacrifice of your fertility. As such, it is important to remember you have human rights, too.
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