Eager to help others conceive and constantly bombarded by adverts on the radio, Kaylene Breeding decided to become a serial egg donor in her 20s.
She did it twice for free - with just her medical and travel expenses covered - and when that went well, signed up for four more donations in return for payments, which varied between $7,500 and $9,000. But now aged 37, she has no children of her own and likely never will.
"My number one piece of advice if you're considering being an egg donor is that if you're set on having children, do that first," she tells DailyMail.com.
While it's difficult to know the exact number of egg donation cycles each year, the Society for Reproductive Technology (SART) tracks data for nearly 400 US clinics annually to provide a good estimate. In 2021 there were over 20,000 IVF transfers using donor eggs at SART-reporting clinics, which is a 19 percent increase from the previous year.
Cofertility.com reveals that these transfers led to nearly 10,000 births. The numbers are set to grow further as women delay motherhood focusing on education and careers. The donor egg IVF services market size in the US was pegged at $398.15 million in 2024 and is projected to hit around $618.31 million by 2034.
"Frankly, you could end up like me where no amount of money could ever touch the amount of pain I'm in," she muses.
The Vancouver-based entrepreneur found her life start to spiral after being diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis. Now she is considering having her uterus removed due to chronic pain.
"My doctor stated that there was a high probability the egg donations triggered my endometriosis and adenomyosis," Ms Breeding told DailyMail.com. "This is due to the influx of estrogen I was given each time I was an egg donor."
A paper from Stanford University notes that 'unlike most of Europe,' US policy does not require infertility clinics to be licensed by law.'
- Egg donors take hormones including birth control pills
- Follicle-stimulating hormones injected
- Human chorionic gonadotropin injected
"I regret that decision to be an anonymous donor," she says about her initial experience as an anonymous donor.
Of all the donations Ms Breeding did, only one success has been confirmed; twins born to a gay male couple in Israel. She remains hopeful about fostering connections with them but hasn't heard back from their parents yet.
"The inability to learn more about my offspring hurts more now knowing I'm facing a hysterectomy but I will continue trying," Ms Breeding says regarding contact with potential offspring.
A lack of regulation frustrates Ms Breeding: 'There is no US federal law regarding anonymity vs disclosure in gamete donation.' She helps run We Are Egg Donors—a support group advocating change within this industry—hoping for better regulations protecting future donors' health rights while informing them accurately before deciding whether or not they should proceed down such paths themselves!
"Women are still going continue donating eggs; that's reality here today—it’s giving tools knowledge accurate information critical making informed decisions,” concludes Ms.Breeding reflecting upon past experiences shared throughout journey thus far...