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Well, you've seen hard times before, but nothing like this. You've had to sell your car, and use your bike or your legs to get you everywhere. You're two months behind on your rent, and you just got a notice in the mail saying that your electricity will be cut off tomorrow unless you pay your bill immediately. You definitely need more money, and soon.

You used to joke about being so broke you might have to become an egg donor, but now the possibility of it looms in front of you. When you were in college, you lived down the hall from a girl who had found herself in a situation much like you find yourself now. She too was broke, and decided to just go right ahead and become an egg donor. It was a good decision for her. She ended up being able to pay her rent, and had a little extra until she got a job.

You've seen ads in magazines (you read them at the library since you're too poor to actually buy one) begging women to come be an egg donor. These ads say that you'll be paid thousands of dollars if you give this chance to an infertile couple. It's an interesting thought, being given the opportunity to make money and help people at the same time.

Then reality sets in. Being an egg donor is one heck of a responsibility. You have to go through a stringent interview process, and then go through a period of time in which you prepare your body for the operation. It's not the interview that bothers you. You know that you're a healthy, drug-free woman, it's the operation part that scares you, since you've heard it's a painful recovery.

There's also the issue of giving away a part of yourself to complete strangers. After all, once you give up some of your eggs, you won't have any idea where they're going to go. Someday, any random kid that you see on the street could be yours. You're not too sure if you're ready to be completely detached from such a situation.

The girl you knew in college had absolutely no plans of ever becoming a mother. She figured that she might as well give her eggs away to someone who'd need them. You know that someday, when you've found the right guy and have a steady job, you'd like to be a mother. Would you be able to look at your children each day and not think about the other children, biologically yours, that might also exist?

You've come to the conclusion that you're poor, but not so poor as to yet give up a part of yourself that you're saving for your own family. Perhaps it's a selfish decision, but it's the one that you feel the best about making. You also have a newfound respect for people who do become donors. You admire them for having the courage to give their eggs in support of the best cause of all: Creating life.