AMA I sold my eggs for $30,000.

As someone who can't have kids naturally, I just want to thank you for doing this.

I know I will get downvoted for this, but what is so bad about adoption? If you cannot have your own kids naturally, why not adopt?

Why do people spend tens of thousands of dollars on IVF when there are really great children waiting for parents to adopt them? Just an honest question.

Nah, I agree with you. I think adoption is great. The world is overpopulated, and I honestly admire anyone who adopts, along with anyone who decides not to have children. Yaaay condoms!

From my point of view, however, this family wanted an egg donor - and if it wasn't me, it would have been someone else. From an economic perspective, I didn't create the demand, I was merely the competitive, replaceable supplier. So I didn't see it as a adopt/not-adopt choice that I was making.

Isn't adoption hella expensive though?

I think it depends a lot. Foreign adoptions can often be very pricy. If you adopt through the USA's foster care system, it can be quite cheap (or, if you are okay adopting a child, not a newborn baby, you can get money). There are also price adoptions - idk how pricy those ones tend to be.

God I hate when people just throw out "the world is overpopulated", as if it were some kind of obvious truth. I suggest you take 30 minutes and explore the subject before you go on spreading more insane ideas that very well can effect how people vote regarding how foreign policy should be directed.

I have spent much more than thirty minutes on the subject. Yes, the world can hold many more people. But I also believe that long term prosperity and political / economic stability will be more difficult to attain with more people on the planet. If you use up resources now, and fail to educate and train the human capital you're producing... Well, the probabilities of a shit show occurring in the next 100, next 1000 years increase.

Nah, I wouldn't downvote you for asking an honest question. Adoption is a beautiful thing, but there's something to be said for having your own kid- one who is your flesh and blood. One who you will pass traits down to and who might even look like you. Someone who will carry on your legacy even after you die. You may have left the Earth, but your DNA lives on.

But it's not your own DNA if it's from someone else's eggs, right?

The father will have contributed DNA.

:) Makes me want to do it again.

fuck the thirty grand, how comfy are those socks?

So comfy.

I read this as "I sold my legs for $30,000"

I think I would have asked for a little more money.

i can verify this, a year and a half ago i lost my legs and received £30,000 from insurers, when i got confirmation that i was getting this 'compensation' my heart sank. I didn't want the money, it felt like it justified losing my legs. i gave all of the money to my parents to help pay for their mortgage (i was 21 and was at uni).

TL;DR i can verify £30,000 is not worth losing your legs.

:( I'm sorry. Definitely not.

If you could go back with your current knowledge would you do it again?

Yes. I think I might do it again, in fact. But $30,000 is very rare. I only got so much because the buyer couldn't find the right girl through the normal pathways, so hired someone to do some online advertising, etc., to find someone 'perfect'. So I doubt I'll get that much again. Normal rates are around $7-15,000, or so I hear.

That's an astounding amount of money. I was paid $4000 for my eggs. What you were paid might not have even been strictly legal. It's illegal in the US to sell human body parts (even eggs) so they can't actually pay you for the eggs. They write it off as compensating you for the time and discomfort (which is not insignificant - lots of clinic visits and shots like you mentioned). It would be really hard to justify your time being worth $30,000!

Yeah. It was legal, but I know some people might think that it shouldn't be. That being said, I don't think I would have done it for $10,000.

What exactly were their requirements for a 'perfect' candidate? I'm not sure what one could need apart from a clean genetic history and ovaries.

I didn't do the choosing, so I wouldn't know. This is just what they told me. I don't think I'm a 'perfect' candidate, I mean, no one is. But good grades / looks / health / happiness / etc. helps, I'm sure.

My friends mother sells lots of fresh chicken eggs, but she doesn't make nearly that much money.

Do you like Chicken Eggs?

I do.

are they free range?

I did grow up on a plot of forest, so sure.

[deleted]

Yeah. That was a big concern. But, 1) I had some evidence that the parent(s) were not going to be (a small amount of contact), and 2) I reasoned that if they were going to raise a kid to be crummy, it was going to happen with my eggs or with some other woman's, so why not mine?

Does this mean you will go through menopause earlier? Do you have a SO? If so, what did they think? What problems did you have with it? What kind of birth control? Was it for a company or a single person?

No - not at all. Women are born with like 1-2 million eggs, and they took about 20. The long term effects of the hormones seem to be about null, but there isn't enough research to be sure.

I did have an SO, and he was really supportive. We couldn't have sex for quite a while, but he still was. Good stuff.

My problem with it: I was mostly concerned with 1) health risks (short term, long term. Some of the drugs cause bad reactions in some people), and 2) that some kid will knock on my door in twenty years wondering why I abandoned them. :(

What kind of birth control? Just the pill, I don't remember which brand.

Not for a company.

"We couldn't have sex for quite a while, but he still was."

Leads to many many questions...

We couldn't have sex for quite a while, but he still was really supportive. Mayhaps I should have been clearer... :)

Did you choose to allow the children to contact you once they are 18? Personally I am looking forward to attempting to contact my sperm donor, but I doubt anyone is going to have negative feelings because if what you did. At worst, apathy.

There wasn't a checkbox or anything - basically if the kid wanted to, the parents would just have to contact my lawyer to ask my permission, as I understand it.

Do you know if the parents will talk to their child about it? Will you know if the process is successful.

I don't know * 2.

I did have an SO, and he was really supportive. We couldn't have sex for quite a while, but he still was. Good stuff.

So was he having sex with another girl?

Damn, dude. You're really good at reading those context clues.

hence the username. If this is true has to be the greatest gf of all time. haha

I did have an SO

Lol. Not why we parted, I assure you.

Not that I know of.

What kind of characteristics were they looking for?

Do you have near perfect marks/health and traits the people who paid are looking for?

Do you know what will happen to the eggs that won't be used for fertilization? What if they make 20 kids? That might be kinda weird.

Well, I can't be sure how they weight different characteristics, but here are some of the things they asked for the the application (and thus find important): - GPA, School, Major(s) (had to verify) - SAT scores (had to verify) - Pictures - Health record (myself and relatives) - Little essays on how I deal with obstacles, what I like to do, what I want to do, etc. Some of it was surprisingly philosophical.

Eh, yeah, mostly.

Frozen. That would be weird, but I doubt it will happen. They are legally not allowed to resell them for any purpose.

This is really interesting! Why did you have to take birth control for a month before you got started? Also, I'm assuming you weren't allowed to have intercourse during this, right? Or could you as long as you used condoms?

I believe it was mostly to align my cycle up with the woman who would be carrying the baby.

Yep, no sex. No condom sex, no any sex. Especially when you're on the hormones, you're about as fertile as 39,485 horny bunnies, so sex is just not an option.

That's an awful lot of bunnies.

Did the spike in hormones affect your... ahem... sexual drive to match that of said 39,485 bunnies?

Haha. Not that I noticed. Maybe a little?

Would they be able to find out if you had had sex?

Well, if the baby popped out asian, they probably would have had a clue...

Jk. I don't know. But if an egg had been fertilized then I'm sure that would have just brought in a huge storm of issues. And I would have been liable for a lot of medical costs.

That makes sense since you were such a Fertile Mrytle! Did it cause any lingering issues with your period?

Nope.

haha I stumbled on this and thought,... this story sounds really familiar. Then I saw the name and I knew. Have an upvote my friend.

Bahaha. So much for anonymity. J bean?

what's up hilldog. Actually it was the "I was avoiding doing homework" that really gave it away haha

lol. I was!

Can you still have children yourself?

Yes! They only took like 20 eggs. I have hundreds of thoouuusands!

From my expertise (read: 2 minutes of Google), women are born with about 1-2 million oocytes which slowly waste away, leaving about 300,000 at purberty. These aren't eggs, they mature into eggs (approximately one every month). So you have about 400 eggs between puberty and menopause.

So you gave up about 5% of the eggs you'll release in your lifetime, which is still generous!

Good googling, but as I understand it, not entirely correct? The eggs they took were artificially matured. It's not like there's a set cap on how many eggs will eventually mature in your body, there's more of a set cap on how long it will take for your body to stop producing the hormones, etc., that mature your eggs and pop one out every month. In other words, I lost a few dozen mature eggs, but had I not taken the hormones, those eggs would not be mature, so I was not really giving up 5% of my lifetime's eggs.

I hope. Hurp derp.

You must be so proud.

Indeed.

• How healthy is "healthy"? What type of physical shape do you need to be in?

• Do you need to be free of all genetic conditions? For example, I have mild excema, a skin condition; would that disqualify me?

• Did you take ever birth control before deciding to do this? If so, how did it affect you then and why did you go off it?

• Did you meet the future parents in person?

• How old are you?

• How did it feel to be super-fertile? Any weird moodiness?

• What do you mean by a "needle up there"? Did they actually penetrate skin or just uh poke it up like a tampon/penis until they actually reached your ovary? Do you know how knew when they reached their target?

• What did you need a lawyer for?

• Did the purple surgery socks have non-stick pads on the bottom?

Congrats and thank you for being a wonderful human being!

1) I'm not sure, but I am athletic and don't have a lot of body fat. I was told by the technicians that this actually makes ultrasounds a LOT easier to see, but they're not allowed to tell fat people this. Apparently some pictures of my eggs, because they were so clear, are now in a training manual to teach people how to easily recognize stuff. Lolz. I think a big factor is that the parents want good genes for their kid. If you're in good shape, it's more likely that you have good genes.

2) No idea. But I doubt eczema would 'disqualify' you (I'm sure many potential parents would rather have a beautiful super genius kid with eczema as opposed to a normal kid with average skin).

3) I had for a few months about a year before. I didn't notice any side effects, but I was so bad at remembering to take the pill that I gave it up. I was more vigilant this time, though.

4) No, but I did talk to them on the phone, once.

5) 22.

6) No weird moodiness. I did feel sick and bloated, though. :/

7) The latter, but you need a needle to 'suck' out the eggs (literally). Nope - they put me under, I was unconscious for the entire procedure.

8) To make sure the legal contract I signed was legit and that I wasn't getting shafted or anything. It actually wasn't my idea, the to-be-parent(s) wanted to get me one.

9) Yes!

What charity did you donate the 1k to?

Two: - Green Belt Movement (most) - Drug Policy Alliance

Will there be any way for the kid to find you later in life? How does it feel knowing you already have a kid in the world? Do you think it will affect how you feel when you actually give birth to your first child? Will you tell your future husband?

Sorry, lots of questions. Very interesting topic! I used to think about donating my eggs when I was in college. Couldn't bring myself to do it..even for the money.

Well, legally, the parent(s) are not allowed to give out any of my information. But if the kid wanted to find me, his/her parent(s) could request that my lawyer contact me with a request, which I would have to say yay or nay to.

I don't think it will affect the way I feel when I have my own child hugely, but I definitely thought about it a lot. I do feel a connection, even love for the child (yet unborn as of the moment) out there who has half my genes. But I also think that a parent is the person that raises you, so when I have my own child, it will be a completely different situation.

If I marry, then yes I'd tell him. Preferably before the wedding...

If you were contacted by your lawyer in 18 years saying the kid wanted to contact/meet you, would you be up for it? I realize you can't say for sure because there must be so many factors in the future that you can't predict right now, but at this very moment, would you want to?

I don't know. But I'd probably say yes. 80% chance.

As someone who is adopted. Please say yes.

90%.

No offense, why so much for the eggs? I get they're valuable but valuable enough for 30,000?

• health risks, time commitment

• wealthy parents who really want good genes for their kids are willing to spend 30k. I mean, if you're willing to spend 30k on one year of your child's education, is it really that crazy to do the same to ensure that they're likely to be a little bit smarter, prettier, happier, healthier? If you have a lot of money, maybe it is.

• inability to find the right donor --> upped to 30 k --> found me.

What did your parents say?

My mom was okay with it (but mildly worried), my dad really did not like the idea, but didn't pursue it. I took what they had to say to heart, but still chose to go ahead.

What is your race/ethnic background?

White with a tiny bit of native american. (Like... 3/64ths. Nothing cool)

First, thanks for doing this, I've toyed with the idea of donating my eggs. How painful was the process? Also, do you ever think wow, I have a child out there somewhere, or do you not really even consider them your child? What was the time frame of the whole process? Lastly, do you think if you had donated to a company rather than a single couple it would've taken so long and would you have had to go through the same process of the essays and all the check ups?

The week before and after was sort of painful. I basically couldn't move much and felt like a had a stomach-ache. But it was worth it.

I don't view the child out there as mine, but I do feel a connection.

The time frame was actually really long. Like, a year and a half long. Mostly because all the paperwork had to be in place and there was no particular rush on the part of the parent(s)-to-be.

I think it would have taken less time, but I'm not sure. I would have gone through the same check ups, it just probably would have been slightly more streamlined.

After all of that screening and knowing that your own genetic material is highly valued, do have more confidence than you did before? I would feel pretty good about myself if I passed all those tests (which is why I'll never put my DNA up to that kind of scrutiny, I'd be crushed by a frank assessment of myself!).

Yeah, it is a confidence booster. Not gunna lie. But, I mean, this is just one valuation of 'me'. Other people could think I am stupid and ugly. Or value things that I don't have, like... I don't know, a belief in God, or pink hair. And that's cool. People can value what they like.

Please provide proof.

EDIT: Thank you for verifying with the mod team.

Do I do so for you guys, or to mods?

Either; preference to proof provided here, but if it involves medical documents etc that you don't want to allow to be public, you can send it to the moderators. This link: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/wiki/index#wiki_3._what_constitutes_.22proof.22.3F should provide you with help in that regard. I'm actually quite interested in the thread!

Thank you!! edit: okay, I have sent proof to the mods.

Whichever you're comfortable with.

K. I've sent a message to the mods, will give them proof ASAP. Er, is it possible to attach PDFs to reddit messages? Couldn't see how to.

If someone asked you to do it for nothing, and they paid for all medical costs, would you still do it?

Probably not, but it really depends what my life was like. Being a full time college student and two hours away from the designated fertility clinic puts a damper on things. The pain and health risks are also a factor.

[deleted]

About 14 months, but this is unusually long.

As far as I know, when you are on the fertility meds you are super super fertile, so even sex with condoms is just too risky. If a baby were born that had the wrong father, well... Not good. I signed a contract saying I wouldn't, so I didn't. This was just my experience, however.

I came here thinking of some sort of super giant chicken egg laying post.

I was wrong.

Whatever, im ovary it.

Haha. Made me laugh. Of the like 19 chicken egg jokes here.

Would you do it again?

Probably.

I'm so jealous. I have ovarian cysts and can't go off my birth control without developing one, but I'd heavily consider donating for $30,000... That would pay for my education and still leave me with a few thousand to plan a wedding with.

It was a nice deal. 30k, though, is very rare.

With a small windfall of money at 22, you put 1/3 if it in an IRA? Sounds like you were raised right. Your parents are still together, right?

Nope. I just turned out really frugal, for some reason.

What kind, if any, of requirements did you have to meet? For example, I am a cancer survivor that had chemotheraphy, and I have 2 fake hips... Would I be able to do this?

I doubt it. They didn't tell me, but a doctor did review my medical history, and I did get genetic testing done. So they care.

hello, may I ask how old you were when you id this? thanks for doing this.

21

If its not too privy, how old were you when you underwent the procedure (you mention being a student)

What major/common risks were involved in the procedure that worried you the most?

Im a male, how much are my ovaries worth?

21

The last injection you take has some pretty nasty potential side effects (like, seizures for the rest of your life, hair loss, other scary things). That was most worrisome for me.

$924503249. Medical miracle.

Which are better: surgery socks or standard wool socks?

Awesomeness vs Comfort. That's a toughie. I'd say that the initial surgery pair is superior, but due to high decreasing marginal utility, wool socks come out ahead after that.

I considered doing this, but I heard that the hormones cause some pretty bad side effects. What was your experience?

They can be very dangerous. There are some horror stories out there, just like there are horror stories associated with driving a car or riding a horse.

Hmm. I was bloated and sick-feeling for the week before and after my surgery, because your ovaries get really big. And one of the drugs (Follistim, I think) caused the skin around the injection site to break out in a small rash. And I also had a bad reaction to the antibiotics they gave me before the surgery, and ended up passing out from the pain to wake up with my nose next to the bathroom plunger.... but this last one was not hormone-related, so... ;)

Would you reccomend other females do this? I've thought about it and I just don't know how I feel about it. I want to help other women out by doing something so big but I guess I'm just afraid? Can you help me out?

I wouldn't recommend it either way. It's a very big decision. There are health risks and unknowns. And there are also huge emotional risks. If you are not okay with the fact that a kid might knock on your door in a dozen or so years in any state of mind, you shouldn't consider donating your eggs.

I'd recommend doing a lot of research before deciding anything.

I've been wanting to do this but all the websites say I can't because of my BMI! I'm 5'0 and 140 lbs so yeah I guess technically overweight but I'm curvy! We can't all be tiny :(

I really want to donate, because it's such an awesome thing to do. Is BMI really that huge a factor in the process? Or do I just need to talk to someone face to face rather than doing an online thing?

Edit: a word

Not sure. I do know that fat makes it harder to see your eggs when doing ultrasounds. I'd also guess that parents don't want kids to have any genes that might predispose them to weight problems. But I'm not sure.

Did they screen you for race at any point? Like was it on the forms or the ad or anything? Did you see any other candidates? Did they tell you why you were chosen?

Yes, they asked.

I didn't see any other candidates.

Nope. Just that they were sure I was the one. I think they mentioned some similarities in philosophical leanings that I mentioned in my app, but not much else.

How long did all of this take? So, basically the way they make you full of hormones, it's kind of like 20 periods at once, but right before the period, so the egg is really fertile? Did the hormones make you horny? Were you allowed to drink alcohol? Have your periods been regular/normal since then?

Sorry for the barage of questions, I myself have been thinking of doing this.

• About 14 months for the entire thing, only about a month of birth control + another month of hormones.
• Sort of... Many eggs are induced to become mature, and those are taken out.
• I don't think so.
• Good question. I wasn't - I could drink alcohol or any other sort of wonky substance. I took a drug test that included alcohol, weed, etc.
• I honestly couldn't say, I never really kept track before all of this. ha.

Sorry if this is a repeat question. Is there an age limit to his? I am older, but been told by my Gyno that my eggs are very healthy & 'young'.

There is, but I don't know what it is. But I think above 25 you become a less optimal candidate.

Would you ever do it again? And would you ever consider annonymous donation (where your egg goes in the 'eggbank' to a couple you dont know)?

Yes, I might.

I'd consider it, but it would be less appealing.

Has an embryo already successfully implanted?

If this batch hasn't/doesn/'t, and the parents asked, would you be willing to do another round?

(With 20 eggs I'm guessing it's probably a moot point, but I know when a friend of mine did this in the early 1990s none of the embryos implanted from the first round, so they asked if she'd donate again.)

I'm pretty sure that one has been, but honestly I wasn't informed. The surrogate was on the same cycle as me, though, so the plan was to fertilize some eggs and put one in her straight away.

I wouldn't have to, because they froze some in case that happens. But I would. Although... I'd feel bad accepting the same fee, yet not eager to the repeat the entire process for free.

Can you do this multiple times in your life time?

Yes. But I've heard that clinics don't recommend women do it many, many times.

my GF would like to know how it affected your body AFTER the surgery? Thanks!

I haven't noticed a difference. It took about two weeks for the bloating to completely dissipate, though. And a very few women have quite horrible long term side effects from the drugs.

Not a question, but I know another woman that did this. She actually knew the people taking the eggs. It was a rich man and a woman he found to surrogate the pregnancy. It was interesting. She had to interview with him multiple times. In the end, she gave him a couple of eggs, made 30 grand. He had two children using her eggs. He sends her a Christmas card every year with their picture. She has no interest in being a mother to them, and the way she talks about it, it's just this crazy cool life-giving thing she did for a man who wanted kids.

Sidenote: Maybe I do have a question. Since it seems like you went through a pretty reputable clinic, what is the follow-up like? I've heard donors have higher risks of ovarian cancer—do you frequently get checked?

Wow, that sounds good.

Almost no follow up. They just called twice to make sure I was okay. Wikipedia does say that there is slight evidence of increased risks of ovarian cancer, which is scary, but I'm not sure how slight the evidence is. The doctors who dealt with me said there was no evidence of any cancer risks, but that there really just wasn't enough data to be sure. I am only 22, so have never gotten checked, but will do so when I am older.

What are you hot?

Yes.

I saw a facebook (!) ad

uhm...

didn't want to do homework

uhgggghhhh...

involved mini-essays on how I dealt with problems in life, what I wanted to do with my life,

WHUT?!?!?

you didn't want to do homework, yet did essays ab- ...wait a minute...

I was selected by the future parent(s).

didn't want to do homework

I'm not feeling terribly optimistic for the future of this world.

Don't worry, I got it done.