Talk about golden eggs.
Droves of cash-strapped women are emptying their ovaries to fill their bank accounts.
Kimberly Bannat, a college student from New Jersey, was desperate for funds when she read a plea for young women’s eggs to help infertile couples.
The 21-year-old nursing major at Felician College in Lodi went to an Upper East Side clinic in September and ended up making a cool $8,000. She had to go through two interviews, three rounds of medical tests and submit a photo – showing her blond hair and blue eyes – which prospective egg buyers could peruse.
But, said Bannat, “I’m poor.” The process was not painful and seemed “quick and easy and helpful,” she said.
She was selected a couple of months later.
Rebecca, a 27-year-old East Village woman, said her impending egg donation – her fourth – “is the only thing keeping me floating right now.”
She only has a part-time job in event planning and has $60,000 in student-loan debt.
This time around, she’s being paid $10,000.
Donors, who are usually in their 20s, must inject themselves – in their rear ends, thighs or abdomens – for about 10 days with medication that will prompt their ovaries to produce eggs.
“You’re puffier. It gets tender,” said Rebecca. “If I ride in the back seat in the bus, it kind of hurts.”
After frequent monitoring, the eggs are removed while the donor is under sedation.
Another strapped gal recently took to Craigslist with an ad seeking recipients for her eggs.
“I’m 22 years old and very broke,” she wrote, listing her attributes as a high SAT score, some acting ability and a fast metabolism.
At the Northeast Assisted Fertility Group, an agency with offices in Manhattan and Boston, the number of applicants has doubled to 100 a week in the last two months.
Sanford Benardo, a lawyer who heads the agency, said the women were motivated by the financial benefits rather than simple altruism.
The agency increased its compensation in August by $2,000, to $10,000, which may help explain the number of eager applicants. Most New York City programs pay $8,000, which is considered compensation for the donor’s time and discomfort.
“We felt we wanted to attract the best and brightest candidates,” Benardo said.
Bannat said that the donation was worth it and that she might even do it again.
“Maybe after nursing school when I’m still owing lots of money,” she said.