Is it a struggle for you to afford university? Don’t worry, you’re definitely not the only one. Universities in the U.S. and U.K. are expensive. Scratch that. Universities in the U.S. and U.K. are really expensive. Classes are hard enough and with the loans forming their own treacherous mountain of debt, it’s only fair students begin to freak out. What student hasn’t felt that overwhelming burden of finances?
For University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee student Kaitlin Skidds, the feeling is all too familiar. Through loans provided by Federal Student FAFSA and the UW Credit Union she’s capable of affording college. However once she graduates, Skidds has six months to save up until she has to start paying back her maximum estimate of $60,000 worth of debt, which converts to over £40,000.
The feeling isn’t too different for United Kingdom students. According to a report covered by the Telegraph in 2015, “someone graduating this year on an average starting salary of £29,000, will make total student loan repayments of £62,272 over 30 years, compared to £33,346 if official numbers are used.” In this report, “the figures are based on a full-time student borrowing £15,000 a year for three years (£45,000) and going on to work in a full-time role after university.”
Although Skidds works part-time at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, as a patient care assistant, Skidds knows it won’t cover her education. Controversially, Skidds has decided to take a path that many millennial women have also sought out in order to take care of these finances.
She has decided to become an egg donor.
Egg donation is a process where a woman donates her eggs for assisted reproduction purposes or bio-medical research. This donation is paid.
“I first heard about donating eggs through a Facebook ad,” says Skidds. “I’ve been researching it since I was 16, but unfortunately most places in Wisconsin won’t let you donate unless you’re 21.”
Now a sophomore majoring in nursing, Skidds is confident this is a path she’s ready to take. She has already applied at a fertility clinic in Milwaukee County, which won’t be named specifically for safety concerns.
Depending on the organisation and how much the receiving family is willing to pay, the average compensation for donating eggs in the United States is between $4,500 and $10,000 (£3000 – £7,000). The organisation also pays for all the woman’s medical treatments and procedures whereas in the United Kingdom the fixed sum is £750 per cycle of donation, according to The London Egg Bank.
If and once accepted, Skidds will undergo a series of tests for donating her eggs.
“I’ll have to undergo blood work and tests to determine if I’m fertile enough and if my eggs are healthy enough to be used in the procedure,” says Skidds. “After a few months of regulating my cycle and giving me hormone simulators, I go to the clinic and they safely remove my eggs in a minimally invasive procedure I’ll be numbed for.”
There are also screenings, fertility treatments, and monthly doctor appointments. However, with any procedure comes potential risks. These include mild discomfort from the injections, allergic reactions to the antibiotics, side effects from the fertility drugs such as mood swings or weight gain, and at worst, the swelling or twisting of the ovaries, which is rare. The process for the US and UK is the same.
In addition, if Skidds is picked as an egg donor, she has the option to meet with the potential child once he or she is 18. This isn’t just in the US, UK egg donors are also given the opportunity to meet the couple and the child if desired and they choose not to be anonymous.
“I’m not completely opposed to it, but I don’t know if the child will have harsh feelings towards me,” says Skidds. “It’s something I have to consider more, but if I was in the child’s shoes, I would be glad that someone gave my parents the opportunity to conceive on their own. I think the child does have the right to meet their biological mother.”
Women donating their eggs is a controversial topic in the US, UK, and many other countries. Are these women really donating their eggs to create life? Does donating eggs play God? Is human life being sold? What happens to the eggs that are not fertilized or implanted? Some even question if egg donors are comparable to prostitutes. Skidds feels otherwise.
“People who think that this is like prostitution are just misinformed! There are many couples who have tried every other alternative and simply can’t conceive on their own. To me, it seems unfair that I have healthy functioning eggs and aren’t sharing them. My egg is being used, but there is nothing sexual about it. I’m not religious, so I don’t feel that I’m playing God. However, for those who are religious, it’s important to keep in mind that reproduction is a beautiful miracle and that the female will still be carrying her own child. It will be growing inside of her and she will still be able to form the same bond with her child as if it was from her own egg.”
Despite the many controversies and the pros and cons, Skidds has received a substantial amount of support from her friends and family. Nevertheless, she was still scolded by a teacher in high school who told her it wasn’t right. Skidds sees pasts the negativity and tries only to shed light on the topic. Despite the critics, Skidds isn’t just in it for the money.
“I don’t feel that donating my eggs is my only option to pay for college and my reason for donating is certainly not just for the money. I’m interested in it because being in the healthcare field, I see many couples or single women who can’t conceive on their own and it’s heartbreaking. It’s something I’m passionate about because everyone should have the chance to carry their own child, it’s an experience that can’t be replaced. I have a bunch of eggs I’m not currently using, so why not share them with the people who can responsibly care for and afford a child at this point in their lives?”
Skidds hopes in the future to travel, find a job, get married, and have her own family. She finds it possible to be a surrogate for families, but only after she is done having her own children. She recommends any millennial woman who is considering this option to do their research first and to remind yourself it is your body and do what you believe is right in your heart.
“It’s like a puzzle,” says Skidds. “I’m just the missing piece to make it all fit together.”
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