The Red and Black

The classified ad says it all: "EGG DONORS NEEDED!! Compensation $6,000 (Exp. donors may request higher rate)"

Placed in college newspapers and Web sites such as craigslist.com, these attention grabbers paid for by fertility companies seek to help infertile couples conceive through in-vitro fertilization.

Companies pay women to "donate" eggs, which are used in IVF procedures that cost infertile couples tens of thousands of dollars. With more than 9 million women seeking fertility help, business is booming for the fertility companies.

And at the University, business is good.

"We've gotten a good response from that area," said Renee Koon, the Southeastern recruiter for The Donor Source, a California-based fertility company that advertises in The Red & Black.

Other fertility companies and clinics run ads emphasizing that women who sell their eggs can "become someone's miracle" by helping infertile couples conceive.

"If you want to be altruistic, nothing you could do would help people more," said Dr. Randall Hines, director of the in-vitro fertilization program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "Egg recipients are desperate, and IVF is their last hope before adoption."

Hines uses eggs donated at the medical center, not from an egg broker egg broker or fertility company, in his practice.

The donation process is time-consuming, exposes the donor's body to massive doses of hormones and may have complications due to the extraction procedure. Ethicists worry the amount of money offered is coercive, and some researchers suspect repeat donations may increase long-term cancer risks.

Egg brokers screen candidates for physical and psychological soundness before accepting them.

The ideal candidate is a healthy non-smoker between the ages of 21 and 29, of average height and weight with no family history of disease. Sellers must commit to keeping at least eight doctor's appointments over a three-week period.

Because they need the money, some young women "could conceal risk factors and unfavorable medical history in order to become candidates," said Hines.

Potential sellers also may ignore health risks associated with egg donation, a concern that prompted the ethics committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine to warn against "excessive" payments of more than $5,000.

The regimen for women who agree to sell eggs begins with seven to 14 days of injections with gonadotropin-releasing hormone. This causes the pituitary, the so-called master gland of the endocrine system, to halt the release of eggs by the ovaries.

Once ovulation has shut down, a series of injections with a follicle-stimulating hormone triggers the development of several egg-containing follicles in the ovaries. During a woman's normal monthly cycle, only one follicle is stimulated at a time.

An injection of human chorionic gonadotropin, known as hCG or the "trigger shot," triggers the final maturation of these eggs.

It takes 36 hours after the trigger shot for the ovaries to swell. At this time donors return to the fertility clinic for extraction. A needle inserted through the wall of the vagina into the ovary collects the egg follicles. The hollow needle uses suction to remove the egg and liquid inside each follicle.

Since there are no fertility clinics or offices in Athens that perform these procedures, women who agree to sell their eggs have to trek to Atlanta for medical visits.

Getting a thorough physical exam and gathering as much information on the donation process as possible - both the physical and the emotional aspects - are two pieces of advice Dr. Gregory Perry, a gynecologist with Athens Women's Clinic, offers to women interested in the process.

"Egg donation is a sensitive subject because you're donating part of your body. It's like giving a child up for adoption," said Perry. "I would want my daughter to get counseling before becoming a donor."

According to Perry, possible side effects from the hormones include PMS-like symptoms, dehydration and pain at the hormone injection site. Perry also advises that potential problems can be avoided through careful monitoring of the patient by the fertility company's clinic.

"The major risks for egg donation are ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and procedure-related risks," said Hines.

OHS causes fluid retention and swelling of the ovaries, but it's rare in egg donors. Mild symptoms include abdominal pain and swelling while more serious cases involve hospitalization.

"As with any invasive medical procedure, there is a risk of infection and bleeding, but it rarely occurs," said Hines.

The long-term effects of egg donation are unknown. Research on ovulation stimulation drugs and their link to breast, ovarian and uterine cancers provides inconclusive results. Although no long-term effects of egg donation have been proven, Perry cautions against donating more than once or twice, just in case.

As if these risks weren't enough to keep an egg seller sleepless in Athens, there's one more thing to worry about.

Women who have sex while chemically stimulating their ovaries are more likely to get pregnant - not with one baby but with two or three.

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