2015 Articles

How Agencies Market Egg Donation on the Internet: A Qualitative Study

Keehn, Jason; Howell, Eve; Sauer, Mark V.; Klitzman, Robert L.

Oocyte donation has been used to treat human infertility for nearly 30 years, and remains particularly popular in helping women of advanced reproductive age,1 yet it also poses ethical concerns. Due to increasing demand and undersupply of available oocyte (or egg) donors, a niche business has developed in which “agencies” assist physician practices in advertising, recruiting, screening and even “matching” donors to recipients in need of such services. The advent of the Internet has increased the number and visibility of these services, creating a market in which programs bid for women perceived as having desired traits and superior pedigrees. A few questionable ethical aspects of these agencies have been examined by ourselves and others,2 including patterns of monetary compensation that directly conflict with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) ethical guidelines,3 but many questions remain unexamined.