Donated embryos offer an alternative to donor eggs and adoption
For some couples, the option to pursue additional fertility treatments using their own sperm and eggs is no longer a good option. Emotional stress, the high cost of fertility treatments, and the fear of another failure can become too much. Using donor eggs is often a very effective treatment for most patients. Donor eggs in combination with IVF will usually give patients the highest possible chances of having a baby, however, donor egg cycles can be an expensive process. Donated embryos can give patients an alternative to donor eggs and adoption that can be affordable and highly successful.
After a patient, or couple, finishes with their treatments, there may be embryos left over. These embryos can remain frozen for long periods of time. It is estimated there are hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos in the United States and worldwide. Many patients find it difficult to discard the embryos, but at the same time they often have reservations about donating embryos to another person. Donated embryos would be genetic siblings to the children the couple already had as a result of their fertility treatments. Options to donate the embryos to research or transfer the embryos to the uterus when pregnancy is less likely to occur, will offer some patients options for the supernumerary embryos. While it would seem to be an opportunity to give someone a gift, there are very few embryos available and very long waiting lists of people wanting to receive those embryos. There are several resources for finding embryos that are being donated. These options include the National Embryo Donation Center, Snowflakes, and Miracles Waiting.
Donated embryos will vary greatly in their quality. Couples may have only a few low-grade embryos available and wish to donate them to another couple. Other couples may have many embryos as the result of using donor eggs and having a successful pregnancy. When a program such as California IVF has a high success rate with donor egg cycles, there are often more embryos available for donation. Embryos that come from donor egg cycles will usually offer pregnancy rates that are comparable to the donor egg program. Because of this, California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. is able to offer the California Conceptions Donated Embryo program. The national average for pregnancy following a donated embryo transfer is approximately 20-35%. We are confident our pregnancy rate will far exceed this percentage and will be offering donated embryos with a refund option for qualified recipients.
Donors are screened for infectious diseases, and we have a health history available. Often times these health histories are not as detailed as ones provided in donor egg cycles. In general, major medical issues and inherited disorders will usually be known, and recipients would be informed before a transfer of embryos would occur. Of course, we are never able to fully eliminate the risk of children born with defects, Recipients usually receive a brief summary of the donors in an anonymous donation but may be able to meet and establish a friendship in open donations. The details of the donation are completely up to the individuals donating the embryos.
Using donor embryos for pregnancy is often referred to as embryo adoption. Donated embryos are not subject to the same legal and social requirements of adoption, and the recipient of the donor embryos will experience pregnancy and childbirth for themselves. Though laws may differ between states, usually the birth mother’s name will go on the birth certificate and there is no potential legal challenge to parental rights. While adoption offers many benefits to a lot of couples and the children waiting to be adopted, the process can often be long and frustrating, not to mention expensive. Adoption agencies often have strict criteria including age restrictions and policies against single parent adoptions. Donated embryos will offer most people the opportunity to be parents. We strongly encourage patients to investigate their options fully. It is even possible to have a pregnancy while waiting for the adoption process to continue. Giving birth to a baby and giving another child the opportunity to share in the family is a wonderful idea that we hope more people consider. Meanwhile, the wait for donor embryos continues to build. The Internet is full of postings from women and couples looking for “embryos to adopt”, “embryos available for adoption”, “donor embryo waiting list”, “where do you find donated embryos or embryos available for donation”, and the list continues. The California Conceptions Donated Embryo Program was started in hopes of changing this imbalance. By offering affordable treatments to couples that have often exhausted themselves financially, we hope many more little miracles will happen at our center.
The California Conceptions Donated Embryo Program Using donated embryos from this program offers excellent chances of a successful pregnancy for women who are struggling with infertility and are not getting pregnant with in vitro fertilization (IVF). The California Conceptions program is a donated embryo program that offers success rates of 65%-85% at a lower cost than using a traditional egg donor. Currently three transfers cost $15,000 and most patients will qualify to participate in the guarantee program. A PGS option is available for $21,000. All donors who choose to anonymously donate through this program are thoroughly screened for infectious diseases and meet all state and federal regulations. Donors that provide embryos have also been screened for health risks including inherited disorders, mental illness, and other traits that would be undesirable to most parents. It is not possible to avoid all health risks and birth defects, but this is true for any pregnancy. It’s easy to put your name on the list by visiting CaliforniaConceptions.com and applying for the donated embryo program.
Many people will find great joy and satisfaction through growing their family with adoption. There are many resources and types of adoption that may be available to couples. It is unfortunate that many adoption agencies make the adoption process very difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Everyone understands the need to ensure the safety and well being of the children, but many people find the process extremely difficult. Better understanding the various options for adoption will help avoid some of this frustration.
Private adoptions can happen when a mother desires to relinquish rights to the baby before the state or other adoption agencies are involved. These types of adoption are usually less cumbersome but are also more difficult to find. There are mailing lists and agencies that will work with you to increase your visibility to mothers that may wish to give their baby up for adoption.
Adoption agencies are regulated by the state and have to adhere to strict guidelines. The various agencies will have their own requirements including visits with a psychologist, a home study program (inspection), and often age restrictions. There are programs that make the process much easier than other agencies. Overseas adoptions offer many hopeful parents the chance to grow their family. The number of overseas programs are growing and there is a wider range of options than ever before. Adoptive parents are encouraged to thoroughly investigate the different agencies and programs.
California provides a comprehensive list of licensed adoption agencies
[link]. This list is an excellent resource complete with telephone numbers and addresses for adoption agencies across the state. You may obtain a copy of this listing in PDF format [here]. The California office of Social Services is responsible for oversight and regulation of adoption services. They have a very informative website at http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/PG1301.htm. Additional information on their web site includes foster parenting; which may be an attractive option for some families.
We will, on occasion, have embryos available for adoption when couples select this option as an alternative to discarding their embryos. This can offer a couple an excellent opportunity to experience child birth and expand their family. The embryos are usually stored following an in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF). Couples can make the embryos available for anonymous donation or directed donation (the donating and receiving parties know each other). The embryos are not technically “adopted” in the traditional sense of the word. The embryos are essentially “gifted” to another couple.
The receiving couple is aware of the physical characteristics of the donating individual, or couple. The embryos are already frozen and the recipient needs only to undergo an frozen embryo transfer procedure. Since the costs associated with the embryo transfer and previous storage fees are usually considerably cheaper than other forms of advanced fertility treatments, embryo adoption is usually very affordable. Total costs are usually below $5,000 for a single transfer. The demand for donated embryos usually exceeds the availability of donated embryos so potential recipients will be placed on a waiting list.
Human embryos and gametes can not be bought and sold in the United States. California IVF: Davis Fertility Center, Inc. strongly upholds this position and does not allow individuals providing embryos to receive any compensation or remuneration for donating their embryos. When embryos become available, they are truly a gift made of someone’s good will and desire to help someone else experience the joy of having children. We are forever grateful for this gift!
The California Conceptions Donated Embryo Program offers an option with less waiting. The program is more expensive than traditional embryo donation programs but offers a high chance of success for less than the cost of IVF using donor eggs. The California Conceptions Donated Embryo Program has success rates comparable to success rates with donor eggs while avoiding long waiting lists for donated embryos or embryo adoption.
While this is not a form of adoption, it does offer an excellent alternative. Donor eggs will allow a woman of almost any age to become pregnant and carry a baby that will be viewed as her own without the risk of legal challenges. The pregnancy rates with donor eggs are very high. Egg donor give up their rights to the eggs when they are donated. The recipient mother is the intended parent and birth mother. These facts establish her right as the legal mother of the child and the recipient mother’s name will be placed on the child’s birth certificate. Additionally, she will be able to experience the bond of carrying a pregnancy of her own. Donors are selected through a thorough screening process and are matched based on multiple characteristics. The recipients make the final decision on the egg donor of their choice. Anyone considering adoption should consider the option of using donor eggs to achieve a pregnancy. More information can be found here.