2008 Woodie Awards
For women, eggs mean money
Fletcher Allen's egg donation program offers women an oppertunirty to give their eggs and make money at the same time
Danielle Goldschnider Cynic Corespondent
Issue date: 10/30/06 Section: News
For financially struggling and busy college students, abandoning a typical nine to five job in favor of a quicker moneymaker can be very appealing.
Recently, The Cynic ran a series of advertisements looking for non-smoking females, aged 21 to 33, who were interested in participating in the Fletcher Allen egg donation program for infertile couples.
The criterion for becoming an egg donor appears simple in the advertisement, but interested participants must complete a comprehensive screening process.
Donors are required to complete a telephone interview, a medical evaluation, psychological screening, and a series of lab work tests, which look for genetic disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, and the ovarian reserve. Participants must also fill out a detailed questionnaire of their genetic, reproductive, physical, psychological, and sexual history, according to the Vermont center for reproductive health website.
"The whole process can take up to six months, the cycle is normally done in a month and a half. Screening can take four to six months. It varies, but we normally have 10 people a year," said Jennifer Croffman, egg donor coordinator for the Fletcher Allen egg donor program.
Once a candidate is accepted, they are put on oral contraceptives for two weeks. After this period, donors take self-injected medications for an average 10 to 12 days, depending on how their ovaries respond.
After 10 days, an ultrasound is taken to determine if the donor is viable to begin ovarian stimulation.
After the cycle of medication and tests if egg retrieval is deemed appropriate, the donor is given an injection of a human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy. 36 hours later the donor goes to Fletcher Allen medical center on UVM's main campus for the retrieval process.
Recovery from the procedure is typically one to two hours, and side effects can include bleeding, bloating and fatigue, according to the center's website.
Recently, The Cynic ran a series of advertisements looking for non-smoking females, aged 21 to 33, who were interested in participating in the Fletcher Allen egg donation program for infertile couples.
The criterion for becoming an egg donor appears simple in the advertisement, but interested participants must complete a comprehensive screening process.
Donors are required to complete a telephone interview, a medical evaluation, psychological screening, and a series of lab work tests, which look for genetic disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, and the ovarian reserve. Participants must also fill out a detailed questionnaire of their genetic, reproductive, physical, psychological, and sexual history, according to the Vermont center for reproductive health website.
"The whole process can take up to six months, the cycle is normally done in a month and a half. Screening can take four to six months. It varies, but we normally have 10 people a year," said Jennifer Croffman, egg donor coordinator for the Fletcher Allen egg donor program.
Once a candidate is accepted, they are put on oral contraceptives for two weeks. After this period, donors take self-injected medications for an average 10 to 12 days, depending on how their ovaries respond.
After 10 days, an ultrasound is taken to determine if the donor is viable to begin ovarian stimulation.
After the cycle of medication and tests if egg retrieval is deemed appropriate, the donor is given an injection of a human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy. 36 hours later the donor goes to Fletcher Allen medical center on UVM's main campus for the retrieval process.
Recovery from the procedure is typically one to two hours, and side effects can include bleeding, bloating and fatigue, according to the center's website.
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