There is a severe shortage of Asian eggs in fertility clinics, and this has driven up the payments made to Asian women willing to donate their eggs. Human eggs are also known as gametes or ova. Women of other ethnic groups typically get about $6,000 for donating their eggs, but are often times turned away because there is a lack of demand. But Asian women are not being turned away. An Asian woman can expect to be compensated around $10,000 to $20,000 for donating their eggs. The growing competition among fertility clinics for Asian eggs has caused the appearance of ads in college newspapers with the heading "ASIAN EGG DONORS NEEDED". Fertility clinics often say that they are not paying for the eggs themselves but rather for the women's time, pain and inconvenience. But it has become evident that this is not completely true. "A poor black woman or a poor Hispanic woman doesn't suffer less than someone who is Asian or Jewish or a Stanford graduate," explained Laurie Zoloth, who teaches bioethics at Northwestern University. "They told me they had doubled the compensation for Asian donors because they were so sought-after," said Linda Tran, who is a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese. "They said it was difficult to find Asian donors." Roxanne Sarro, director of the fertility clinic "Baby Miracles", explained that Asian donors can command higher fees — especially "if a donor is 100% Chinese and highly intelligent with a degree in math, for example." "How do you find Asian egg donors? By offering more money," said Andrew Vorzimer, a lawyer who specializes in reproductive medicine and also owns a fertility clinic "Egg Donation Inc.". "I have seen contracts where donors are getting $50,000 or $100,000." One reason for the lack of supply is that Asian women are less likely to go through the discomfort of egg donations out of financial need. On average, Asian women earn higher salaries and are more likely to be college-educated than women of other races. Asian females on average earn 13% more than white women, and 31% more than black women. Many young women who elect to be egg donors do so for financial reasons, while Asian and Jewish donors, who are in such high demand, tend to be more are financially secure. They do not feel pressure to donate their eggs to fund a college education or a down payment on a first home. Clinic operators say there has been a shortage of Asian eggs for several years but that the deficit has been exacerbated by rising Chinese wealth, which has given more couples the means to come to the United States for surrogate parent programs. Some agencies are so desperate for Asian donors that they are looking beyond the United States. Surrogate Alternatives in San Diego has about 400 potential donors on its roster, but only two are ethnically Asian. To bring up its Asian numbers, the agency plans to start flying in women from China and Japan, according to the Chief Executive Diana Van De Voort-Perez. Demand is also high among Jewish couples, many of whom put off having kids to pursue higher education or careers, clinic operators say. According to a report from the United Jewish Communities, half of Jewish American women have college degrees and 21% have graduate degrees. They tend to marry later, and the longer a woman puts off having children the more likely it is that she will have difficulty conceiving a baby. Black eggs worth least of all Perhaps not surprisingly, Black eggs are worth the least. The large surplus of African American babies waiting to be adopted may be one factor. For Hispanic, African American and non-Jewish woman, the number of willing donors often outstrips demand. Heart to Heart Egg Donations in Beverly Hills is an agency that specializes in African American donors. It has a roster of about 125 women willing to be paid donors. But the agency had only 22 black or mixed-race couples last year seeking black donors. The agency's owner Fran Williams explained that many African American couples do not have the means to spend thousands of dollars with no guarantee of a baby. "Some other agencies won't even bother putting these Black donors in their database because they'll just sit there for years," Williams said. Robyn Dedeaux, an African American woman who is on a waiting list to donate her eggs explained her frustration. "That kind of sucks, but I guess it's supply and demand." She will only be compensated $6,500, if and when she is selected. She went on to describe. "At the fertility clinic I was going to get shots, the majority of the couples going in there were Asian, and most of the baby photos on the walls were Asian." (modified from an article in the Los Angeles Times, May 4, 2012)
That is a very good question. One would think that with a population of 1 billion, there would be plenty of Chinese eggs to go around.
