Egg donors mostly motivated by urge to help others

The majority of egg donors
donate for altruistic reasons, although personal benefits such as financial
compensation are also a factor, according to a large European study.

Researchers conducted 1,423
questionnaires across 11 countries in Europe, including Spain, the Czech
Republic and Finland. They found that almost half of all egg donors were
'altruistic', and wanted to donate eggs solely in order to help others have
children. A further third of women donated for altruistic reasons alongside the
financial rewards offered.

'Altruism is the main
motivation why donors donate but financial compensation certainly helps to
persuade a number of donors', said Professor Guido Pennings, who led the study.

Younger donors were found to
be less likely to donate eggs for altruistic reasons alone, with just under
half of donors under 25 citing altruism as their motive compared to 79 percent
of those over 35. 'The older you are, the more altruistic you are', said
Professor Pennings. Women with a higher level of education were also more
likely to donate altruistically, with around one-third of donors having a
university degree.

Only one-in-ten women donated
solely for financial reward, while one-in-fifty women donated eggs solely in order
to take part in egg-sharing schemes.

'Egg donation is quite a
controversial application of assisted reproduction, due to concerns about
exploitation of donors due to [low] compensation and the donors' safety', said
Professor Pennings. 'The general donor profile from this study is someone who
is well-educated, 27 years old and living with a partner and child. This does
not fit the idea that most people seem to have of a poor student who donates
for money'.

In the UK, the need for egg
donors is on the rise. 'In terms of egg donation, the UK is out of step with
the rest of Europe and the rest of the world', said Mr Stuart Lavery, director of IVF at Hammersmith Hospital. Dr Françoise Shenfield, coordinator of ESHRE's Cross-Border Reproductive Care
Taskforce, who was involved in the study, believes that this is due to a lack
of information about such shortages. 'In the UK, there just isn't enough public
information about the need for donations', she said.

It is hoped that the findings
will be used to recruit more egg donors, but it remains unclear exactly what
factors encourage women to donate and how the number of egg donors could be
increased. 'There is an enormous diversity of factors, like reimbursement and
anonymity, that contribute to donor motivation', said Professor Pennings. 'It
is not possible to find out why some countries have a higher number of donors
than others'.

The study was presented at
the annual European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in
London, and the paper will be published later this year.