What is the Church's view on donation of ova for IVF?

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CarmeliteGirl25

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I have seen several advertisements in newspapers and online saying you can ‘earn’ $3,000 to $4,000 for donating eggs to infertile couples. To me, it seems very wrong in the fact that the eggs will be used for IVF. However, the part that was a little foggy to me is donating an egg is much different than donating sperm. I read the medical process of harvesting eggs, which had a detailed explanation of how they suppress your natural menstrual cycle and stimulate the follicles in your ovaries to release the eggs. Then they do fertility tests to see when you are ovulating and what your hormone levels are. Then, when it is determined that you are ovulating, they retrieve the eggs (I guess through a long needle). There is no sexual stimulation involved, unlike sperm donation.

Also, I see advertisements for donating plasma, which I know is an altogether different process, but I was wondering what the Church views were on plasma donation for profit?

To me, it seems very wrong to sell your eggs or plasma since we were made in God’s image and not meant to be reduced to medical guinea pigs. I know plasma is a life-saving component of blood, but egg donation, I believe, should not be allowed. I can’t find these topics in the Catechism, so I was interested in learning more. Thanks in advance!
 
The following links should assist you in better understanding the Catholic Church’s teaching regarding donating/selling eggs and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) as a whole. If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please [contact Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com/home/contact.asp) directly.
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