egg donationThe American Society for Reproductive Medicine suggests guidelines for egg donor qualification by fertility clinics and companies that recruit egg donors. The current suggested age of inclusion is 21, but advertisements for egg donors do not necessarily follow the suggested guidelines as reported by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy.

The study, published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, pulled egg donor advertisements from college newspapers and Craigslist online. The advertisements from recruitment centers were more likely to advertise egg donation targeted to woman between 18 and 20 compared to fertility centers. About 60% of the advertisements published on Craigslist also listed age requirements as 18 to 20 rather than the suggested 21.

Conclusion: Researchers involved with the study suggest the American Society of Reproductive Medicine change the suggested to mirror advertisements, but the age limit is set at 21 due to medical concerns for the donor. There is also some concern that younger women may not be emotionally ready for egg donation.

Source: Alberta HB, Berry RM, Levine AD. Compliance with donor age recommendations in oocyte donor recruitment advertisements in the USA. Reprod Biomed Online. 2012 Dec 1. pii: S1472-6483(12)00696-7. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2012.11.011.