Asian Women Who 'Donate' Eggs Can Make Big Money

The old-fashioned law of supply and demand brings this quirk in the world of egg donors: Young Asian women in the US can make way more than others, reports the Los Angeles Times. Demand is so high, they can easily get $10,000 to $20,000, as opposed to about $6,000 for a woman of another ethnicity. One lawyer calls it the "wild, wild West of reproductive medicine" and says he's seen contracts for up to $100,000.

A host of factors are at play, including what the Times calls a "cultural aversion to adoption" among Asian couples. Also playing a role is rising Chinese wealth, with increasing numbers coming to the US to find surrogates. The right combination of attributes can lead to a big payday, confirms the director of one company—"if a donor is 100% Chinese (and) highly intelligent with a degree in math, for example." (More egg donors stories.)