Hungarian women spend millions on buying egg cells from abroad

The Hungarian healthcare system has been fighting against the strict regulation which obstacle women to have children. Those who are against this regulation mention lawsuit and psychological reasons and doctors suspect ideological motivations behind this phenomenon. But everyone misses one thing: if someone needs an egg cell, urgently can spend millions on buying one.

According to hvg.hu, the Hungarian law-system describes two ways for women to legally receive an egg cell when needed: donation (which is rare) and when a relative under 35 who had given birth at least once offers one. It is important to mention that this procedure is free of charge because if the person who gives the egg cell received money, it would be illegal organ trading.

Receiving an egg cell from a relative is a necessity because many believe that if someone asked their sister or any other family member, she would not ask money in return. On the other hand, experts believe there are religious and ideological reasons in the background.

Still, the late-arriving of the first child in a family is not the biggest problem in Hungary. According to a survey in 2016, 10–15% of the Hungarian couples suffer from infertility, and only 40–45% of them are men. For this reason, the “battle” is no longer for sperm but for an egg cell. In 2017, approximately 4,000 children were born in Hungary, but with the more effective treatment of infertility, this number could be more.