Smarter women offered more for eggs

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ATLANTA, March 26 (UPI) -- A sample of more than 300 college newspapers shows almost one-quarter of the ads offered payment in excess of $10,000 for women's eggs, U.S. researchers say.

Aaron D. Levine, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, says payments in excess of $10,000 violate guidelines issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. The study finds many egg donation agencies and private couples routinely exceed compensation recommendation limits.

Levine says amounts of $5,000 or more require justification and sums more than $10,000 are not appropriate.

The study, published in The Hastings Center Report, finds each increase of 100 SAT points in the average for a given university increased the compensation offered to egg donors at that school by $2,350.

Many ads offered $20,000, several offered $35,000 and one was as high as $50,000.

The study finds approximately one-quarter of the advertisements listed specific requirements for potential donors, such as appearance or ethnicity. This also goes against ASRM guidelines, which prohibit linking compensation to donor personal characteristics, Levine says.