The global economic crisis has led to a rising number of eastern Europe women offering to donate their eggs to Israelis, the Fertility Medical Center in Tel Aviv reported on Wednesday.

According to the center's Chairman Dr. Ilya Barr, one of the first doctors in Israel to deal with egg donations from abroad, "The financial compensation the donors receive at about € 1,000 ($1,261) per cycle, makes it very tempting at a time where getting a job has become as difficult a mission in eastern European countries as in the rest of the world.

"This is a quick solution to raise cash, that gives the donor plenty of free time. Most egg donors are women that have already been pregnant themselves and need money to provide for their families.

"Since the crisis broke out, the bank of donors has grown, making it very easy to find a match between the donor and the recipient."

Dr Barr added that carrying out the treatments in eastern Europe and Cyprus has become relatively easy, but said it is still an unnecessary process stemming from the limitations of Israeli law.

"It is regrettable that the Israeli government doesn't allow women in Israel to donate eggs with or without monetary compensation. We are met with an endless number of cases of women who want to donate eggs to their sisters or friends.

"We cannot fulfill these wishes and the women in need of donations are forced to fly in the midst of fertility treatments, spend lots of money for no reason and spend the stressful days away from their homes."

The existing law only allows anyone undergoing fertility treatment to donate eggs to other women, but naturally, these women would rather keep their eggs for their own needs and are in no hurry to donate them.

Most of the fertility treatments in Israel are carried out at the Ramat Aviv Fertility Medical Center, with some 100,000 treatments per year.