Women undergoing egg extraction are not able to make informed choices about the risks involved, in part because long-term risks have not yet been adequately studied, especially for women providing eggs to be used by others. We urge the creation of a widely-publicized, privacy-ensured national registry to facilitate long-term tracking and long-term studies to better understand the risks of egg extraction, particularly with respect to the impact of drugs used for both suppression and stimulation of the ovaries. We also urge that advertisements and notices seeking women to supply eggs be required to state that long-term health risks of egg harvesting procedures are unknown.

The infertility industry in the United States has grown to a multi-billion dollar business. What is its main commodity? Human eggs. Young women all over the world are solicited by ads—via college campus bulletin boards, social media, online classifieds—offering up to $100,000 for their “donated” eggs, to “help make someone’s dream come true.” But who is this egg donor? Is she treated justly? What are the short- and long-term risks to her health? The answers to these questions will disturb you . . .

Produced by The Center for Bioethics and Culture (Lines That Divide, 2009), Eggsploitation spotlights the booming business of human eggs told through the tragic and revealing stories of real women who became involved and whose lives have been changed forever.