Payment to egg donors is the best way to ensure supply meets demand

Compensated egg donation has been available in the USA since 1984 and is subject to a variety of regulations. The impact of variation from state to state on the regulation of egg donor compensation can be discerned from an analysis of data reporting to both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Although the CDC data sets are considered as the most complete, they did not, and do not, separately account for cycles conducted with frozen donor eggs, though SART data beginning in 2013 do account for these cycles. A synthesis of SART and CDC data sets allows for the most precise estimates of egg donor supply and also allows for an analysis of the impact of compensation on the incidence of egg donation. In Louisiana, where compensation is expressly forbidden, there appear to be no anonymous, altruistic donations. However, the supply of anonymous donor eggs is reliable in states that allow compensation. This difference implies that the only way to ensure an adequate supply of donated eggs is to compensate the donors accordingly.