Nov 21, 2008 4:41 pm US/Central
Surge In Egg Donors, Surrogate Moms Amid Downturn
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
In these tough times, many young women are turning to the baby business. The number of surrogate mothers or egg donors is up 30 percent, CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports.
The people at Alternative Reproductive Resources say since the economic downturn they've been putting in a lot more phone time each and every day.
"If we got 50 to 60 calls before, it's probably 75 to 100 calls now," company president Robin von Halle said.
All from women -- inquiring about how they can help someone realize the dream of having a baby. They earn money in the process. A qualified egg donor is compensated $7,000; gestational surrogates receive $25,000.
Some even mention money as their primary motivation on the very detailed applications.
But Tina Sprague, a gestational surrogate, said cash isn't solely what motivated her to work with ARR. She delivered twins for another family in January.
The stay-at-home mother of two says getting paid was nice, but for her it was primarily about the altruistic experience.
"The end result primarily is I'm making a family for someone else," Sprague said.
She cautioned anyone considering surrogacy that it requires frequent, regular doctor visits; self-administered shots to prep for pregnancy and generally a lot of work.
"Rebecca" says protocols are similar for egg donation. She's a student using the money to help pay her way through school.
"I don't see how someone could go through all of this just for the money," she said. "You are putting your body through changes."
The folks ARR say most bow out once they tell callers just what being an egg donor or surrogate requires. Many others don't fulfill the age, health and background stipulations.
Despite that, ARR says the spike in interest has resulted in at least one more donor per day. That makes the pool bigger for prospective parents.
And if you're wondering if this is a national trend, data isn't available for something this recent.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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