Egg Donation

[Page 489]Egg donation, as a treatment for infertility, has existed for more than 30 years. Since 2005, the practice has increased 74%, both nationally and internationally, with people traveling around the world for reproductive services. Women between the ages of 18 and 30 years are recruited by egg donation agencies and infertility clinics to provide eggs in order to help other people create their [Page 490]families. In the United States alone, there are more than 18,000 in vitro fertilization cycles per year using fresh donor eggs. Egg retrieval involves surgery under anesthesia, in which a surgeon, guided by ultrasound, inserts a needle through the vagina and pierces through the vaginal wall to reach the ovary. Using suction, the surgeon retrieves each individual follicle from one ...