Providers' attitudes towards payment to egg donors: an international survey

Hum Fertil (Camb). 2023 Dec;26(6):1439-1447. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2023.2265151. Epub 2024 Jan 24.

Abstract

The research question 'How do fertility professionals worldwide perceive the issue of payment for egg donation and does this view change under different circumstances?' was addressed. A worldwide online survey was conducted between January and March 2023, focusing on the views of fertility providers concerning egg donor payments. From the 3,790 IVF-Worldwide.com members invited, 532 (14%) from 88 countries responded. The majority of participants, primarily from Europe (38.9%) and Asia (20.1%), were fertility specialists, embryologists, and fertility nurses. Most (60.3%) favoured regulated donor compensation, with only 13% advocating for unrestricted amounts. Compensation opposition (22.4%) was often rooted in concerns about donors' best interests. When considering egg donation from low-resource to high-resource countries, 38.5% were opposed. When asked about compensating women who underwent elective, non-medical egg freezing should they choose to donate their unused oocytes, most responders supported it to some degree, with only 28.4% opposing any compensation. The survey revealed that a significant majority of fertility professionals worldwide are supportive of some form of compensation for egg donors. However, perspectives diverge depending on the specific scenario and the country of practice.

Keywords: elective oocyte freezing; ethics; international survey; oocyte donation.

MeSH terms

  • Attitude
  • Confidentiality
  • Female
  • Fertility Preservation*
  • Humans
  • Oocyte Donation
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tissue Donors*