DN's review shows that egg donors in Colombia and Argentina have often sold live sex

The international surrogate industry has a turnover of billions. An important part of the business are the women who donate their eggs to childless couples and single people, including from Sweden.

On the clinics' websites, the donors are often described as young, well-educated women who want to help others start a family for altruistic reasons.

But DN's review gives a different picture of the anonymous egg donors.

The magazine has investigated 214 egg donors from Colombia and Argentina. Of those, 61 have been identified as women who sell, or have previously sold, sexual acts on live sex sites.

Sold live sex as a 19-year-old

One of the women that DN has spoken to is called Valentina. She grew up in one of Bogotá's poorest areas and started selling live sex at the age of 19 with her then-boyfriend.

Two years later, Valentina was unemployed and broke. Through a Facebook ad, she caught the eye of a surrogacy clinic that offered money for egg donation. After hormone treatment and a surgical procedure, she received the equivalent of around SEK 5,000 for 15 eggs.

- I wanted to think that I had done something nice that helped other people have children, says Valentina to DN.

Does not investigate privacy

DN has asked questions to the founder of a surrogate clinic in Colombia. In an email, he states that the descriptions of the women as students with altruistic motives are based on information they themselves have provided. The clinic does not investigate the privacy of donors.

DN has also sought a Swedish surrogate mediator, who cooperates with clinics in Colombia, has been sought repeatedly without reply.

No authority knows how many Swedish children are born through surrogate arrangements abroad. Estimates point to between 100 and 200 children each year.