Embryo adoption is a process of using donor embryos developed by fusing the sperm and eggs of the donor couple for implanting in your uterus and creating your own pregnancy. It is a compelling alternative to traditional adoption for the couples having long-term infertility issues pertaining to both male and the female partner. For couples who are unable to produce eggs and sperm of high-enough quality to succeed naturally or with other IVF techniques, donor-embryo IVF is a new and exciting final choice. Embryo adoption is usually a very successful procedure and will result in the healthy birth of your baby grown in your own womb. Your mother and baby bond will be unbreakable, respected and cherished. Even though it may not being genetically related to you, the child may absorb all your best traits, behavior throughout pregnancy, breastfeeding and daily care, love and communication. When couples use in vitro fertilization to achieve pregnancy, they will often have embryos remaining after they complete their family. One option available to them is to donate those embryos to another couple. Embryo adoption allows the family with remaining embryos to select a recipient family for their embryo gift and use these surplus embryos the right way.
While embryo donation is not for everyone, it can be an opportunity for many who have given up hope of ever raising a child.
Infertility makes a couple feel lonely, empty and incomplete. The joy of having a child is like no other experience in life, fulfilling the heart’s deepest desire.IVF and other assisted reproduction technologies have been the answer to many families’ baby prayers, now in its fourth decade. It has also created a surplus of frozen embryos. When couples go through in vitro fertilization (IVF), sometimes there are fertilized eggs (embryos) that remain and are frozen for later use. When couples decide that their family is complete but still have embryos remaining, they must decide what to do with the remaining embryos, following are few options.
They can donate them to a couple who is unable to conceive. Couples can donate the embryos to research. They can thaw them and let them die. A fourth option is to keep them frozen and continue to pay storage fees, but this is usually not a decision! First option, Embryo donation is becoming increasingly popular
What is embryo adoption?
An embryo –which results from joining an egg and a sperm– is adopted and transferred into the adopting patient’s uterus to achieve pregnancy. This allows patients to enjoy pregnancy, delivery and parenthood. In most cases, embryos are produced by couples who have participated in assisted reproduction programmes with their own gametes or by double donation (eggs and sperm) and, having achieved to become parents, decide to donate their embryos, which remained frozen, to other couples or where embryos are created using third part reproduction entirely. In this procedure, a healthy anonymous donor’s eggs are fertilized with anonymous donor sperm and one or two of resultant embryos are placed in the intending mother’s womb at an opportune time. This leads to a high pregnancy rate. It benefits both the genetic family and the recipient family. Embryo donation, sometimes called embryo adoption, allows the genetic parents to give their embryos a potential chance for life. It also allows the recipient mother the chance to carry her adopted child and control the prenatal environment, experience pregnancy and the birth of a child. More efficient than in vitro fertilization and cheaper than traditional adoption, embryo adoption, which also provides parents with the experience of carrying a child, is a successful and cost effective option. Embryo adoption offers a viable alternative to invasive fertility procedures or adoption proceedings—and a compromise for members of the subset of parents who cannot conceive naturally but prefer pregnancy to adoption. Those who would not otherwise get to become parents have that opportunity; children who would otherwise have remained frozen are given the chance to develop and lead full lives.
The legal aspect
The embryo donor will sign a consent form which will make state her willingness to donate the embryo. The donor has the right to stop the procedures at any time until the embryo is actually used in a treatment. Afterwards the donor legally exempts herself from any involvement.
Is it really an adoption?
Embryo adoption is neither legally nor technically an adoption. Adoption is defined as the placement of a live child after birth but it is a term that most people can relate to when discussing receiving donated embryos for reproduction. When you give birth to your donor embryo conceived child, your names will be on the birth certificate as the parents of this child. Many parents describe it as, ‘giving birth to your adopted child.’ Even though the child has no genetic connections to the adopting parents, but unlike traditional adoption, the couple does not have to go through a legal process in order to be declared as the child’s legal parents. It offers couples privacy and secrecy, so that they do not need to be concerned with societal acceptance of their adopted child.
What are the success rates?
Overall pregnancy rate per transfer is 50-55 percent and live-birth rate is 40 percent. Not all embryos survive the freeze/thaw process, though approximately 75 percent do, and thawing of your selected embryos may not lead to a transfer. However, this may still offer the greatest hope of achieving pregnancy. 90% of recipients are successful in having a baby within 3 tries of embryo adoption.
Using donated embryos may be the right way to build your family if:
There are many reasons why women may require an embryo adoption and different journeys that they will have taken before reaching us, but whatever the reason, or however different the journey may have been, here at Anmol Fertility & IVF centre, we know that we can support you and help you create a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
Advantages of Embryo adoption
Embryo adoption has been marginalized, but it may–and should–become more popular.
Are there any side effects/concerns?
As with any assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure, the chance of multiples is higher (20- 30% per embryo transfer) compared to a naturally occurring pregnancy. Even by following strict guidelines related to number of embryos transferred, there is no guarantee that a pregnancy with multiples will not occur. The risk is no higher with donated embryos. In most cases, two to three embryos are transferred. The potential complications associated with embryo donation are the same as those attached to other fertility procedures. The potential threat to genetic diversity (and probability of ‘accidental incest’) is higher with sperm donation than embryo donation, which is not geographically concentrated.
Treatment process & plan
We have highly personalized medical approach to every patient and have very high standards of communication so as to prevent rather than cure any complications. Our ultimate goal is a healthy baby in your arms in the shortest possible time!
We follow Anonymous Embryo Donation Program (donor and recipient parties are not known to each other), in co-ordination with our Donor Egg Program. It is a form of Third Party Reproduction. Here, we arrange for a fresh egg donation cycle using an egg donor chosen by the couple for their treatment cycle. The menstrual cycles of both, the patient & the donor are coordinated. The couple who are donating the sperm and the eggs always undergo a series of tests to determine any medical ailment or the quality of sperm & eggs. All of our egg and sperm donors that participate in embryo donation programme have been thoroughly tested for medical and psychological fitness during recruitment and screening process. Whichever donors we recommend, you can be confident that they meet these requirements.The matching of your embryos to you is based only upon your own physical characteristics such as eye colour, hair colour and blood group. Egg and sperm donors that are available for our embryo adoption programme have provided the clinic with detailed medical and social information about themselves.
In case of frozen embryos from the surplus embryos of IVF cycle with receipt of consent to donate, they are always selectively chosen. Criterias like if given pregnancies in the past, matching of blood groups and skin colour, eye colour are followed as far as possible.
We’ll explain your medical protocol and prescription very carefully and advise on any additional tests you may need. We do a comprehensive evaluation and test for certain diseases to ensure the best conditions for successful implantation and a healthy pregnancy. Usually we are able to schedule your donor-embryo IVF transfer, whether using fresh or frozen gametes, inless than 12 weeks from booking.
The protocol for fresh donated embryos involves preparation earlier as you’ll be matched, and your cycle synchronized, with a specially-selected egg donor. We’ll let you know exactly when to take your oral medication to prepare your uterine lining to accept the embryos, have your scans and travel to the clinic if your work schedule is quite buzy.
Nevertheless, embryo donation can be a great choice for both those donating who are giving a wonderful gift to a couple wanting a child, and those receiving who have an opportunity to have a family that otherwise would not be possible. Similar to egg and sperm donation, the resulting child is considered the child of the birth mother, and not the child of the donor. However, counseling is very important so that the couple understands that their child will not be genetically related to them but it will be their biological child. Counselling ensures that the couple is mentally prepared for this form of treatment. It is a pre-requisite that the couples undergo thorough counselling and are mentally ready for this form of treatment. We at Anmol, offer you this service as well.
We provide assistance with the process for couples, ensuring that both parties are protected and comfortable with the procedure. In addition to those patients receiving donated embryos, we advise couples to consider donating their unused embryos to others.
Please request a telephone consult with our Doctor so that we can discuss your medical history and advise you personally on the best strategy leading to live birth through embryo adoption and alternatives.