Tuffy Luv Luvs Eggs

April 21, 2009 1:00 pm     Posted in Advice, Body  Tuffy Luv g+ page

Got a question for Tuffo? Email her at tuffyluv@collegecandy.com to be featured in her weekly column!


By Tuffy Luv

Dear Tuffy Luv,

I’m broke. But I’m still in college so I can’t work full-time. So I had this great idea. I’m going to donate an egg. Do you know anything about this? All I know is it’s going to make me money.
Thank you, Tuffy!

Brandi

Dear Brandi,

It’s true you can make thousands of dollars for donating eggs, but it’s a little more complicated than that. (Isn’t everything? Sigh.)

Women are born with a certain number of eggos. There’re several hundred, but what you got is all you get. To give, you have to be at least 21 and you usually have to be less than 35. You have to be healthy (no STDs or hereditary health problems) and you can’t be a drug user or alcoholic.

But that ain’t it, kid. The process then screens you for things like how you look, how you did on your standardized tests, and so on and so forth. Because, although there are lots of people who do this just to have a baby, some people do this to try to design their baby. Which Tuffy ain’t making a statement on. But just so’s you’re aware.

Anyway, once you’re accepted, you have a gynecological exam. If that clears, you’re given a donor agreement to sign saying you’ll never try to claim custody of the kid, etc. etc. etc. And then, finally, you get paid. Several thousand bucks, in fact.

But it’s not done yet! Now’s the surgery part. You’ll be injected with gonadotropins (hormones) every day for a month to make you produce extra eggs. This makes your stomach look like you are with child and your eventual period EXTREMELY uncomfortable. But it’s just the one month. Be VERY, VERY careful (seriously, VERY careful) during this — you will be extremely fertile, so pregnancy is a big problem. Be careful! (See my last post, ladies!)

After a series of minor medial procedures (ask your doc), you finally have the surgery. It takes about a half an hour. A doctor numbs you and inserts a needle into you to collect the eggs. Afterward, you take antibiotics so as not to get an infection.

Listen, girl. This is a very giving thing to do that can really help couples who can’t have children of their own. BUT!!! – this is a big but, ladies – it’s a difficult procedure that is hard on a woman’s body. Please make sure it’s worth it to you before you do it.

If you’re thinking about doing this for the cash, you better sit your sweet self down with a doctor and talk about it first. Think long and hard–this is NOT easy money.

Hearts & Skulls,

Tuffy Luv

9 Comments on "Tuffy Luv Luvs Eggs"

  1. Karen says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20098:13 am 

    I just wanted to chime in on your post- in the past (about 8 years ago) I chose to donate eggs. I felt that I was doing it for the right reasons (still do). A bunch of women I knew at that time were having lots of difficulties conceiving and, while I knew I could not help them, I felt compelled to do something to maybe help other women in the same situation. I ultimately made three donations. I would like to say that I did not do it for the money, but that wouldnt be absolutly true. The periods and the cramping afterwards were intense and I had to take a lot of time off from work for the 'pre-operation visits' (a necessity- so as to know when the eggs are ready for harvisting). Just something to think about.

  2. asianeggdonor says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20098:40 am 

    My blog is all about being an egg donor if anyone is interested with links to other egg donor blogs as well.

  3. asianeggdonor says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20098:41 am 

    My blog is all about being an egg donor if anyone is interested with links to other egg donor blogs as well.

    http://asianeggdonor.wordpress.com/

  4. Victoria says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20099:08 am 

    My genetics professor convinced me of potentially more serious consideration about donating eggs (or sperm). ("Know where your gonads are at all times!")

    Fast forward to a few decades from now. You are happily married with two kids. Your daughter is a senior at a prestigious college. One Christmas, she brings her new boyfriend for you to meet. He's handsome, smart, and seems as though he would fit well into your own family. You notice that he looks almost familiar; his eyes kind of look like your Aunt Judy's… Then you remember that time 30 years ago when you donated your eggs and you are suddenly interested in where they ended up.

    Moral of the story: If you donate your eggs to someone you don't know, you might end up breaking the news to your future daughter that her partner could actually be her half-brother. Genetic screening alone can reveal whether your charitable donation found its way back to your family. Is that a risk you want to take? If you have children in the future, how do you think they will feel about having half-siblings somewhere out in the world? Unless you are absolutely positive that you will never have kids of your own (even accidental ones), I strongly urge you not to donate your eggs.

    On the other hand, while I understand the appeal that egg donation holds for infertile couples, I personally feel that adoption is the right choice. A child who is unwanted, orphaned, or otherwise unable to stay with their biological parents could be provided with a loving, stable family if would-be recipients decided to adopt.

  5. Victoria says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20099:15 am 

    I also wanted to add that I am not opposed to donating eggs to biomedical research. If money is your primary motivation for egg donation, you should consider this option.

  6. Natalie says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20091:44 pm 

    My best friend found out at a very young age that she would eventually become sterile. It's still unclear just how much of a chance there will be fore her to have a child, but just the idea another womans egg's might help her made a world of difference. It's truly an amazing gift.

  7. Kayla - California S says:
    Tue, 21st Apr 20098:10 pm 

    Thanks for your input, Victoria! I think you tapped into an extremely important aspect of egg donation that Tuffy seemed to have skipped over in her article.

  8. Anna says:
    Wed, 22nd Apr 20092:12 pm 

    Please… what are the chances that your half child and your new child are ever going to date????? Especially if you donate an egg now, you're probably not going to be having your own kids for a while. So the chance of them ever meeting is even less.

    The egg will never come back to you. It's illegal for them to give you info on who it has become, and it's illegal for them to give it info on you.

    If I found out my mom (or dad) had done this, I really wouldn't care. Maybe I'd have fantasies about meeting my twin like in the Parent Trap and becoming bffl, but it wouldn't be psychologically damaging or have a large impact on my life.

  9. sauer kraut says:
    Wed, 22nd Apr 20096:21 pm 

    The thought of a woman being utilized in the same fashion as we might utilize a… let's say, chicken, is really unsexy.

    But I understand the sentiment.

Tell us what you're thinking...