Compensation for Egg Donors
It is only right and fair, because donating eggs require significantly more involvement than, say, donating blood, or donating sperm, or donating an hour of your time to a charity.
The compensation paid to egg donors are not payment for eggs, just like you don’t get paid for donating blood or donating clothes to a charity. It is not payment for the eggs donated, but compensation for the donor’s input of time and effort, which is quite a bit more than the time and effort required for donating in other ways. In addition, this same compensation is paid to all donors, regardless and irrespective of how many eggs are donated.
The compensation paid recognises that egg donors – the selfless women who are willing to donate their eggs to help another woman become a mother – go above and beyond what the average person is willing to give. The compensation ensures that the process of donating does not cost more than you are already giving.
The process
Unlike donating blood, which takes a half an hour or so, or donating an hour of your time at a soup kitchen, donating eggs requires more time and involvement.
At Cape Fertility Clinic, the process begins with completing a confidential medical questionnaire to ascertain your suitability as an egg donor. If the medical questionnaire confirms your suitability to donate eggs, an Egg Donor Profile, which is anonymous and confidential, is compiled for you.
Once a couple requiring an egg donation select your profile, you will need to attend a 2-hour appointment to see one of our fertility specialists and our psychologist, who will explain the full egg donation procedure, answer all your questions and discuss any concerns you may have. During your appointment, you will also have a detailed medical examination, including routine investigations and a psychological assessment.
The actual egg donation cycle starts with 10-12 days of fertility injections, as well as about four doctor’s appointments over this two-week period for regular ultrasounds to check the development of the eggs and to ensure that the medication you are taking is responding well with your body. On egg retrieval day, donors are required to take a full day off work or daily activities. A mild general anaesthetic ensures donors sleep, without experiencing any pain, during the 30-minutes procedure which involves no cutting, stitches or scarring. After the procedure, our donors stay in recovery for about 1 hour before being taken home.
Clearly, donating eggs require more time and involvement than, for example, donating blood or sperm, or volunteering your time for an hour or two.
Compensation
For this reason, it is certainly right and fair that donors are compensated for their giving a considerable amount of time and effort, and to cover any expenses they may incur in making this substantial donation that can help another experience the joy of their own baby.
By law, egg donors in South Africa can be compensated for reasonable expenses – such as travel expenses for getting to and from the clinic for the various appointments, medications, consultations, examinations, blood tests and for the procedure on egg donation day, all of which require time, effort and commitment from the donor.
Currently, the maximum permissible compensation allowable in South Africa under the National Guidelines from the South African Society for Reproductive Medicine (SASREG), is R8000 per donation cycle.
You can donate more than once, but the regulations also limit the number of donations that can be made by a single donor to six live born children from their donated eggs.
No cost to you
If you are making such a considerable donation, it is right that there should by no cost to you – you are already giving so generously!
At Cape Fertility Clinic, we make sure your donation does not involve any costs to you. Even if you do not live in Cape Town, don’t worry… when you are selected to donate, we will arrange for you to travel to Cape Town, at no charge to yourself!
In addition, at Cape Fertility Clinic, you will also receive the maximum permissible compensation allowable in South Africa under the National Guidelines from the South African Society for Reproductive Medicine (SASREG), currently R8000 per donation cycle.
This maximum compensation is paid by us, directly to you, on the day of and after your egg donation. Should you decide to donate again, this compensation is paid to you for every egg donation cycle.
Payments for egg donation
Understandably, this compensation is sometimes perceived as a “payment” for eggs, but it is not true.
The truth is that international law prohibits payment for any live human matter, including human eggs and sperm. Similarly, South African law prohibits the payment, offer of payment, or advertising of payment for eggs, sperm, embryos, or surrogacy services within South Africa.
While no money can be paid for eggs, eggs can be donated – like sperm or blood. Egg donation is legal and widely practiced in South Africa, governed by strict national laws and international best practice. And, in the case of egg donation, donors can be reimbursed or compensated for their time and effort.
Of course, there are also scams, and the best way to protect yourself against this is to ensure you donate at a reputable, certified and registered fertility clinic with an excellent track record. Visit the South African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy (SASREG) at https://sasreg.co.za/ for a list of accredited clinics.
At Cape Fertility Clinic, one of the largest and most reputable fertility clinics in South Africa, you will be cared for by specialist fertility doctors and nurses, who have been looking after egg donors for many years and have safely completed thousands of previous treatments. Attention to the medical safety of our egg donors during the procedure is our primary concern.
Is it all about the money?
Among the biggest misconceptions about egg donation is that women donate just for the money.
It is important to understand that there is a legitimate need for donor eggs. There are many couples desperately waiting for donated eggs to have their own child. These women may simply not have enough eggs, or have eggs of poor quality, or their eggs may carry a certain genetic disorder. Donations of healthy eggs completely changes the lives of these couples and brings endless joy.
To bring this joy to another, egg donors really do go the extra mile. If one were to divide the maximum compensation to an egg donor into an amount per hour, it is obvious that the money is not the driving factor.
This is what a few of our egg donors say:
This is the most wonderful feeling ever to know that you are helping a couple that really wants to start a family. To know that you are making a couple’s dream come true.
I’m really proud of myself for doing this for the second time. It is an awesome feeling and if there are women out there that want to help a couple start a family, believe me this is an awesome feeling and you feel proud of yourself for caring and helping a couple.
I would like to thank everyone at the Cape Fertility who are so supportive and caring – the service is so good and they make you feel comfortable the moment you walk in the door.
I feel so privileged to be able to give someone this gift of HOPE, of LIFE xxx
I am humbled by this experience. It would be an honour to help another family.
The team at Cape Fertility were so helpful and kind through the whole process. Always checking up on me. I was made to feel so comfortable.
Thanks so much!