How Much Does Egg Donation Pay? + Donor Eligibility, Locations, etc

As with any major procedure, you should carefully evaluate the process of egg donation for money before making any commitments. Egg donation often pays well, but there are many factors to consider first. Below, we answer questions like “How much do you get for donating eggs?,” “How often can you donate, and what are the requirements?” and “How do you find where to donate eggs?” to help potential donors make informed decisions.

How Much Does Egg Donation Pay?

Depending on the agency and the specific procedure, egg donors can generally earn anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 per donation cycle. The donor’s personal details may also have an impact on the pay rate; some couples are looking for specific attributes and are willing to pay more of them. With certain physical features, intelligence, or talents, compensation could go as high as $15,000.

When selecting a donor who will contribute her genes to their baby, intended parents highly value intelligence — so they are often willing to pay considerable sums if, say, the donor graduated from Harvard. In the same vein, some parents want their baby to come from a donor with a particular religious or ethnic background, similar facial features, an inclination toward music or sports, and so forth and will pay more to match with the perfect donor.

Remember that this compensation is paying for much more than the one-time, thirty-minute procedure; egg donors are compensated for the time and commitment they give in the weeks and months leading up to the procedure. Usually, most medical expenses are paid for either by the agency or the intended parents, with the exception of the donor’s transportation (for which the donor herself is typically responsible).

How Many Times Can You Donate Eggs?

How much do you get paid for egg donation if you go multiple times? How often can you donate eggs? Most agencies set a limit to the number of times a woman can donate eggs — usually around six times total, spaced at least three months apart. The donor should contact the specific agency with which they will be working to be sure of the details. Because of the extensive screening that takes place before the first retrieval process, any subsequent donations generally proceed more quickly than the initial one.

It’s important to note that some women may not be able or willing to donate a second time. The initial procedure affects each woman differently. Some women bounce back in no time, while others may require more time to heal and readjust from the hormonal injections and egg retrieval process. This is something to consider when donating eggs; donors should listen to their bodies and consider what’s best for their health.

Lifetime Earnings

How much do egg donors get paid throughout their lives? If you can get $15,000 per session and you do six sessions, that means you can get paid to donate eggs to the tune of $90,000 over your lifetime. More commonly, at a rate of $5,000 to $10,000 per donation cycle, you could make $30,000 to $60,000 with six cycles.

How the Egg Donation Process Works

Women interested in donating their eggs must go through a lengthy screening process to ensure health and eligibility. (We discuss these requirements in further detail below.) This process usually involves a physical, an extensive review of your medical history, and a psychosocial evaluation.

Even after you’ve passed the screening process and qualified as a donor, the actual donation will only happen once a match has been made with prospective parents. Once you’ve matched with the intended parents and have been cleared to move forward, you must begin taking hormonal medications daily, which gradually taper off into a few times per week. These medications are usually administered by injection, which the donors give to themselves at home.

These medications help mature the eggs and provoke ovulation. You will usually be required to attend some appointments at the clinic during this time so the doctors can review your progress. This treatment typically takes about a month before the retrieval of the eggs can be performed.

Once the woman has completed the injection treatment and is ready to undergo the retrieval, a physician will remove the eggs. As few as three and as many as about 35 eggs may be extracted, though there are exceptions in which the numbers are lower and higher. The average is about 10 to 15.

The retrieval itself is reported as painless, though there may be some discomfort and cramping afterward. The procedure typically does not last longer than 30 minutes. Most patients are required to spend at least one day in the hospital following the procedure.

Required Time

How long does it take to donate eggs? Between the screening process, being selected by the intended parents, and the actual egg retrieval, the entire process for egg donation could take up to six months. For this reason, agencies appreciate donors who have done their research ahead of time, understand the process, and are willing to make a serious commitment.

There are some restrictions to consider before beginning the process. Donors must avoid intercourse as soon as the injections begin and until about a month after the retrieval — otherwise, unwanted pregnancy may occur. Donors must also avoid heavy physical labor and exercise for several months (during the entire course of treatment).

Risks and Drawbacks

Egg donation is not a quick or simple process, and just like any other medical procedure, it does come with certain risks. At the beginning of the hormone injection cycle, some side effects may arise, including hot flashes, mood swings, bloating, headaches, and fatigue. After the procedure, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) may also occur in some women. OHSS symptoms may include trouble breathing, rapid weight gain, abnormal blood pressure, excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, and others. Symptoms may last a few days after the procedure.

Though little evidence exists that donating eggs is harmful to women, some donors report that they’ve experienced long-term ailments and side-effects from the treatment and procedure. These long-term effects are rare and poorly documented, but it’s worth contacting a physician at the agency where you wish to donate if you have any questions or concerns about your risks as a donor.

There are also ethical dilemmas to consider. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine provides a series of Ethics Committee Documents regarding numerous questions raised by egg donation, which may help potential donors come to their own conclusions about the most controversial aspects of egg donation.

Egg Donation Requirements/Qualifications

Specific egg donation requirements vary depending on which agency you work with, but there are a few basic requirements that are more or less the same across the board. To be able to donate eggs, women must:

• Be willing to make a firm commitment
• Be within the minimum and maximum age (usually between 21 and 35)
• Be in good physical and mental health
• Have no reproductive health issues
• Have regular periods
• Have a healthy BMI
• Not be using Depo-Provera shots or contraceptive implants
• Not use drugs or smoke

Major Egg Donation Centers in the U.S.

Many donation centers are local rather than national, so a quick Google search for “egg donation near [your city]” is likely to yield an assortment of nearby results. To help you in your search, here are some of the largest egg donation centers in the U.S.:

ART Fertility Program of Alabama

• Age requirements: 19 to 32
• Additional requirements:
  • Two normal ovaries
  • Normal menstrual cycles
  • Healthy BMI/generally healthy
  • Non-smoker and non-drug user
  • Willing to avoid certain activities and substances during the donation process, such as caffeine and alcohol
  • Reliable transportation
• Locations: Alabama (Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa)
• Repeat donations allowed? The ART Fertility Program does not publicly disclose this information; repeat eligibility may vary based on the donor’s initial experience.
• Payment: $4,000 per donation cycle
• Find out more

Brown Fertility

• Age requirements: 18 to 27
• Additional requirements:
  • Generally healthy, both physically and mentally
• Locations: Florida (Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Ocala, Orlando, Tallahassee, Tampa, and Winter Garden)
• Repeat donations allowed? Brown Fertility doesn’t publicly disclose this information; contact Brown Fertility to find out more.
• Payment: Brown Fertility doesn’t publicly disclose this Information; compensation may vary based on the desired traits of the intended parents.
• Find out more

Center for Reproductive Medicine & Advanced Reproductive Technologies

• Age requirements: 21 to 34
• Additional requirements:
  • BMI of less than 33
  • Cannot be a smoker or drug user
  • Cannot have genetic conditions
  • Must live within two hours of Minneapolis location
• Locations: Minnesota (Minneapolis and St. Paul)
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes; up to six donations
• Payment: $6,000 per donation cycle
• Find out more

ConceiveAbilities

• Age requirements: 21 to 28
• Additional requirements:
  • Regular monthly periods
  • No reproductive disorders
  • Generally healthy (physically and emotionally)
  • BMI under 28
  • Non-smoker/non-drug user (including vaping and psychotropic drugs)
  • Not on Depo-Provera or using an Implanon/Nexplanon implant
  • Willing to undergo evaluations and take injections
• Locations: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes; up to six donations
• Payment: $8,000 and up per completed donation cycle
• Find out more

Extraordinary Conceptions

• Age requirements: 18 to 29
• Additional requirements:
  • BMI of 27 or less
  • No smoking, vaping, or recreational drug use
  • Not on Depo-Provera
  • Willing and able to complete medical and psychological testing as well as take injectable medications
• Locations: Extraordinary Conceptions is located in California, but will match donors with clinics nationwide.
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes; up to six donations
• Payment: Starts at $5,000 per donation cycle
• Find out more

Fertility SOURCE Companies

• Age requirements: 21 to 29
• Additional requirements:
  • U.S. citizen/has legal right to work in the U.S.
  • Healthy BMI
  • Non-smoker
  • Non-drug user
  • No reproductive abnormalities
  • Two ovaries
  • Some college or trade/vocational certification
  • Reliable transportation
  • Morning flexibility for about ten appointments
  • Non-user of Depo-Provera, Mirena IUD, or implant birth control
• Locations: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes; up to six donations
• Payment: $5,000 to $8,000 for first-time donors, with an increase of $500 to $1,000 per each following donation
• Find out more

Mid-Iowa Fertility

• Age requirements: 21 to 31
• Additional requirements:
  • Two normal ovaries
  • Normal menstrual cycles
  • Healthy BMI (under 30)
  • Non-smoker and non-drug user
  • No new piercings or tattoos within the past 12 months
  • Generally healthy with no family history of genetic diseases
• Locations: Clive, Iowa
• Repeat donations allowed? Mid-Iowa Fertility does not share this information publicly; it may vary based on the donor’s initial experience.
• Payment: $5,000 per donation cycle
• Find out more

San Diego Fertility Center

• Age requirements: 20 to 30
• Additional requirements:
  • Generally healthy
  • Normal BMI
  • Non-smoker
• Locations: California (San Diego and Temecula) and New York (New York City)
• Repeat donations allowed? Not disclosed; may vary based on the donor’s initial experience. Contact San Diego FertilityCenter to find out more.
• Payment: $5,000 to $15,000 per donation cycle
• Find out more

Shady Grove Fertility

• Age requirements: 21 to 32
• Additional requirements:
  • Body Mass Index of 18 to 29.9
  • Generally healthy
  • Non-smoker
  • Live or work within an hour of a Shady Grove Fertility location
• Locations: Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes, up to six times in a lifetime. Repeat donors are usually allowed to donate within a few months of a previous donation, depending on the donor’s health.
• Payment: $7,000 for first donation, $7,500 for second donation, and $8,000 for each additional donation
• Find out more

Wisconsin Fertility Institute

• Age requirements: 21 to 30
• Additional requirements:
  • Healthy
  • Non-smoker
  • Reliable transportation
  • Flexible schedule
• Locations: Middleton, Wisconsin
• Repeat donations allowed? Yes; up to six donations
• Payment: $5,000 per completed donation cycle
• Find out more

In Summary

You can earn up to $90,00 over your lifetime by donating eggs — but this is the highest estimation. You’re more likely to earn $30,000 to $60,000 over the course of six donations, which could take several years to complete.

Selling your eggs to fertility clinics is a serious commitment, and any donor should be well-educated on the process before they begin. The donation process may take up to six months between the donor evaluation, hormonal treatments, and egg retrieval process. Keep in mind that to donate, you must be in good health with no history of genetic illnesses, smoking, or drug use and that certain types of birth control may disqualify you from donating.

In case you’re curious, see our related research on how much sperm donors earn.