| What is embryo
adoption?
Embryo adoption is the newest method of family-building,
which combines assisted reproductive technology with
adoption, so that instead of adopting a baby, infertile
couples adopt an embryo.
Where do these embryos come from?
When we perform IVF, young women often produce many
eggs, and therefore, many embryos. The supernumerary
embryos can be stored, and we do this by freezing them
in liquid nitrogen at minus-196 degrees Celsius.
If the parents get pregnant, they often agree to donate
their embryos to other infertile couples, to help them
to start a family.
What is the pregnancy rate with embryo adoption?
The pregnancy rate in our clinic, when we transfer 4
frozen-thawed embryos, is 45% per cycle. The reason
for the high pregnancy rate is twofold. Firstly, these
are often excellent quality embryos (it is usually because
the parents have achieved a pregnancy with the fresh
embryos, that they are willing to donate these frozen
embryos to another couple).
Also, since we prepare the endometrium using hormones,
the uterine receptivity to these embryos is usually
very good.
What is the procedure?
The procedure is identical to a frozen thaw embryo transfer
ET cycle. For young women, we can transfer the embryos
in a natural cycle, 2 days after ovulation. For older
women, we need to downregulate with GnRH analog from
Day 1, and then prepare the uterus to accept the embryo
with exogenous estrogens and progesterone. The procedure
is non-surgical, and there is no risk involved.
What about confidentiality?
In our clinic, we handle embryo donation like a closed
adoption. There is no contact between the donating couple
and the recipients, who never see each other. The recipient
couple does not even need to inform their obstetrician
that they achieved their pregnancy through embryo adoption.
Why is this called adoption?
Firstly, like traditional adoption, the couple who adopts
the embryo has no genetic connection to it. In addition,
embryo donation offers an altruistic use for surplus
embryos, just like adoption meets the needs of both
the adoptive family, and the unwanted child.
How is this different from adopting a child?
Unlike traditional adoption, the couple does not have
to go through a legal process to adopt , but through
medical treatment. This means that the couple “
biologically adopts “ the embryo. There are many
reasons why couples may prefer embryo adoption to adopting
a child. For infertile couples, embryo adoption offers
the unique opportunity to be pregnant, to bond with
their child prior to birth, and to give birth. In addition,
embryo adoption may be much more affordable than traditional
adoption in the US. Embryo adoption also offers couples
privacy and secrecy, so that they do not need to worry
about societal acceptance of their adopted child. Also
in India, certain groups such as Christians and Muslims
cannot adopt. Embryo adoption can be an extremely attractive
option for them
Who are good candidates for embryo adoption?
Embryo adoption is an alternative for infertile couples
who need egg or sperm donation. Also, families who cannot
afford the huge fees needed for egg donation may prefer
embryo adoption.
Isn’t this just surrogacy?
No, this is not surrogacy! In surrogacy, a woman carries
a pregnancy for the benefit of the infertile couple.
In embryo adoption, the child that the couple carries
is the child that they will parent.
What will the child look like?
The embryos for adoption in our clinic come from parents
of Indian origin. These are healthy couples, who have
utilized IVF to start their own families.
How much does embryo adoption cost?
An embryo adoption cycle in our clinic costs US $ 4500
only. As an alternative, you can ship the embryos to
an IVF clinic of your own choice, in a dry shipper.
These embryos will need to be hand-carried..
Here is a sampling of some of the embryos available
for adoption in our clinic.
Embryos # 185 9 embryos. 4- cells and 2-cells
Husband 28 yr, 6 feet tall, fair, AB +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair
Wife 26 yr, 5’6”, fair, O +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair
Embryos # 186 12 embryos, 4-cells and 2-cells
Husband 38 yr, 5’l0 ”, dark, O +, Indian,
black eyes, black hair
Wife 27 yr, 5’3”, dark, AB +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair
Embryos # 161 8 embryos, 2-cells
Husband 26 yr, 5’11”, A +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair
Wife 28 yr, 5’5”, B +, Indian, black eyes,
black hair
Embryos # 158
9 embryos, 4-cells
Husband 39 yr, 5’8”, fair, O +, Indian,
black eyes, black hair
Wife 28 yr , 5’2”, fair, B +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair
Embryos # 125
11 embryos, 2-cells
Husband
35 yr, 5’10”, fair, B +, Indian, black eyes,
black hair
Wife
33 yr, 5’4”, fair, A +, Indian, black eyes,
black hair
Embryos # 132
12 embryos, 2-cells and 4-cells
Husband 40 yr, 5’8”, fair, A +, Indian,
black eyes, black hair
Wife 32 yr, 5’2”, fair, B +, Indian, black
eyes, black hair.
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