ASRM Says Financial Compensation For Oocyte Donation Is Ethical

WESTPORT, Aug 07, 2000 (Reuters Health) - A committee convened by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has concluded that financial compensation for egg donors is ethically appropriate and should be based on the time, inconvenience, and physical and emotional demands of the donation process.

"Donor eggs are an important therapeutic option for our patients," ASRM president Dr. R. Jeffrey Chang said in a statement. "Most egg donors share their eggs with infertile couples for purely altruistic reasons; they understand infertility and the devastating impact this disease has on families. These Ethics Committee guidelines will help ensure that the health of our patients continues to be protected."

In the August issue of Fertility and Sterility, the Ethics Committee notes that the two most common financial incentives presently used to secure egg donations are monetary compensation and oocyte sharing, where a woman undergoing in vitro fertilization pays less for the procedure in exchange for donating some of her eggs to another woman.

Both of these incentives "create the possibility of undue inducement and exploitation in the oocyte donation process," the committee writes. "There is a possibility that women will discount the physical and emotional risks of oocyte donation out of eagerness to address their financial situations or their infertility problems."

The authors suggest that "although there is no consensus on the precise payment that oocyte donors should receive," payments of $5,000 or more require justification and payment above $10,000 is inappropriate. "In no circumstances should payment be conditioned on successful retrieval of oocytes or number of oocytes retrieved."

Among other recommendations, the committee says that oocyte donation programs should "adopt and disclose policies regarding coverage of an oocyte donor's medical costs should she experience health complications from the procedure," ensure that their advertisements for donors are responsible and accurate, and provide information and counseling.

Fertil Steril 2000;74:216-220.