Egg Donation vs. Surrogacy: Understanding the Differences

Choosing a path to parenthood isn’t always simple. For many couples and individuals, fertility challenges can lead them to explore options like egg donation or surrogacy. Both are powerful ways to build a family, yet they differ significantly in terms of medical process, legal implications, emotional considerations, and costs.

In this guide, we’ll break down the key differences between egg donation and surrogacy, explain what each process entails, and help you figure out which one might be the right fit for your unique situation.

What Is Egg Donation?

Egg donation involves a fertile woman (the donor) providing her eggs to help another person or couple conceive a child. The donated egg is fertilized with sperm in a laboratory (usually through in vitro fertilization or IVF), and then the resulting embryo is transferred to the intended mother’s uterus or a surrogate.

Who Needs Egg Donation?

Egg donation may be a good option for:

• Women with low ovarian reserve or premature ovarian failure
• Women who carry genetic disorders they don’t want to pass on
• Older women with decreased egg quality
• Same-sex male couples or single men using a surrogate

The Egg Donation Process

When you visit Nevada Center For Reproductive Medicine, the egg donation process will be as follows. 

• Selecting a Donor. Intended parents choose between anonymous or known donors. Agencies, fertility clinics, or donor banks often help match donors based on physical characteristics, ethnicity, education, and medical history.
• Medical Screening: Donors undergo rigorous physical and psychological screening to ensure suitability.
• Ovarian Stimulation: The donor takes hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries and produce multiple eggs.
• Egg Retrieval: Under sedation, the eggs are retrieved using a thin needle inserted into the ovaries via ultrasound guidance.
• Fertilization and Transfer: Eggs are fertilized in a lab, and the best-quality embryos are selected. These are transferred into the recipient’s uterus or a surrogate’s.
• Pregnancy and Follow-Up: If implantation is successful, the pregnancy proceeds as usual, and the baby is genetically related to the egg donor and the sperm source.

What Is Surrogacy?

Surrogacy involves a woman (the surrogate) carrying and delivering a child for someone else. There are two main types of surrogacy:

• Traditional surrogacy: The surrogate uses her own egg, making her the biological mother. This can come with legal and emotional complexities.
• Gestational surrogacy: The surrogate carries an embryo created with an egg and sperm from the intended parents or donors. She has no genetic link to the baby.

Who Needs Surrogacy?

Surrogacy may be the right path for:

• Women who cannot safely carry a pregnancy due to health risks
• Women without a uterus
• Same-sex male couples or single men
• Couples who have experienced multiple failed IVF attempts or repeated pregnancy loss

The Surrogacy Process

The surrogacy process goes through the following steps.

• Choosing a Surrogate: This can be a friend, family member, or someone matched through an agency. Extensive screening ensures physical and mental readiness.
• Creating Embryos: IVF is used to fertilize eggs from the intended mother or a donor with sperm from the intended father or a donor.
• Embryo Transfer: The embryos are transferred into the surrogate’s uterus.
• Pregnancy and Birth: The surrogate carries the baby to term and delivers it. Legal agreements ensure that the intended parents have custody of the baby.

Comparing the Processes

Egg Donation vs. Surrogacy: The Key Differences

When choosing between egg donation and surrogacy, it helps to lay out the differences side-by-side:

Emotional and Legal Considerations

Both paths are emotionally loaded. Egg donors may grapple with the idea of having a genetic child they won't raise. Intended mothers may feel grief over not using their own eggs. With surrogacy, intended parents and surrogates must establish boundaries, trust, and mutual understanding.

Legal counsel is non-negotiable in both processes. Surrogacy agreements must be airtight and follow the local jurisdiction's laws. Egg donation may also require legal agreements to clarify parental rights and future contact.

Ethical and Cultural Considerations

These practices can spark ethical debates, especially in societies with strong cultural or religious beliefs about parenthood, motherhood, and the commodification of reproduction.

Some common concerns include:

• Exploitation of donors or surrogates
• Commercialization of reproduction
• The rights of donor-conceived or surrogate-born children to know their origins
• Transparency, informed consent, and ethical oversight can help address these concerns.

Success Rates

Success depends on various factors, including the age and health of the egg donor or surrogate, the quality of the sperm, and the fertility clinic’s expertise. Egg donation generally has high success rates, especially with young donors, while surrogacy success is often higher when using high-quality embryos and experienced surrogates.

Consulting with a fertility clinic will provide personalized estimates based on your circumstances.

Which Option Is Right for You?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The right choice depends on your medical situation, emotional preferences, legal context, budget, and timeline.

You might lean toward egg donation if:

• You’re able to carry a pregnancy but need viable eggs
• You value the experience of pregnancy and childbirth
• You have a limited budget and want a less complex legal arrangement

Surrogacy might be the better route if:

• You cannot carry a child due to medical issues
• You want a genetic connection to the child
• You’re emotionally and financially prepared for a more involved journey

Some couples combine both options, using donor eggs and a surrogate. This might be necessary for couples facing multiple reproductive challenges.

FAQs

What’s the main difference between egg donation and surrogacy?

Egg donation is when a woman provides her eggs to help someone else conceive, but she doesn’t carry the baby. Surrogacy, on the other hand, is when a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for someone else. In egg donation, the donor is genetically connected to the baby. In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate isn’t genetically related at all.

Can someone be both an egg donor and a surrogate?

Yes, it’s possible, just not at the same time. Each role involves different medical protocols, hormones, and screening processes. Some women have taken on both roles in their lifetime, but they have to qualify for each one separately.

How much are egg donors typically paid?

Compensation depends on experience and the clinic. First-time donors usually earn between $6,000 and $10,000. If you’ve donated before, you might receive up to $12,000. Donors with specific traits or backgrounds may earn between $12,000 and $50,000.

Is surrogacy more legally complicated than egg donation?

Yes, generally, surrogacy involves more legal work to establish parental rights, handle medical coverage, and sometimes go through court proceedings. Egg donation agreements are typically more straightforward.

Is surrogacy more emotionally intense than egg donation?

Usually, yes. Surrogates are physically and emotionally involved throughout the pregnancy and often form close relationships with the intended parents. Egg donors usually step back after the retrieval process and may not stay involved at all.

Are there risks involved in both?

Yes. Egg donors may experience short-term side effects like bloating, mood swings, or, in rare cases, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Surrogates take on the usual risks of pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, or complications during delivery. Both roles can also bring emotional challenges that should be acknowledged and supported.