Embryo Donation

Once a couple goes through in vitro fertilization there are most often left over embryos that were unused. In embryo donation, the couple who has extra unused embryos may choose to donate them to another couple who would then use the embryo(s) to help induce a successful pregnancy that would otherwise be unlikely. Once a child has been born as a result of embryo donation, he or she is considered to be the child of the woman who gave birth much like in egg donation. Many of the elements of egg donation and embryo donation are similar, but it is pivotal to know the difference between the two.

Like egg donation, embryo donation can be a random process or under the context where both parties know each other. There are all sorts of combinations between donor and recipient and once going through the process of embryo donation you can find what works best for you. To ensure the safety of the woman who is to receive the embryo, each and every one is put through medical examinations that are FDA regulated. If embryos, for whatever reason, are unscreened at the time of donation the recipient is required to be fully informed of the potential risk that they are taking on. More often than not the safety screening is completed because it makes more sense and the clinic that is the safest will usually receive the most business. A little bit of research will aid you in finding the safest and most reputable clinic around, because safety is everything in an operation such as this.

Besides simply throwing the embryos away, one of the most popular uses for embryos that are a result of IVF is to donate them to stem cell research. Unlike stem cells that are a result of abortions, these stem cells are considered to be much less controversial.

Background

Embryo donation is a direct result of the first in vitro fertilizations. Shortly after IVF was put into use, doctors became aware that any left over embryos could be frozen and stored. The usefulness in the adoption of embryos was quickly embraced and it became another avenue to pregnancy for those couples or individuals who could not conceive. This was a huge step forward for the medical field because prior to IVF and embryo adoption, the only real option most infertile couples had was adoption. In many ways embryo donation is much like adoption, except the mother gets to have the full experience of pregnancy which would have been impossible otherwise. During his time in office, President George W. Bush was a big advocate of embryo donation. In fact he approved over a million US dollars to be signed off in an effort to further expand our knowledge of embryo donation.

Embryo Donation Procedure

A fact that most people neglect is that embryo donation is not considered to be an adoption, but rather an exchange of property. Parents who are wishing to receive an embryo donation are provided with the luxury of being able to select who there donor will be. There are many different circumstances and in some cases both the donor and recipient keep in touch with each other. After the child is born it is often left up to the respective parties to determine the amount of future contact that is made available. In other cases the donor and recipient never even meet each other, this is because some feel that it would complicate the whole process. The fact of the matter is that each and every embryo donation and use is different and the parties involved hammer out all of the more finite details.

If you are an individual or couple who is looking to adopt an embryo you will have to undergo many of the same measures beforehand. These include filling out an application, having background checks, and so on. After all of the preliminary measures are handled the paperwork and observations are handed in to face further scrutiny. Once they have been assessed and paid all of the fees, the prospective parent(s) is then matched up with a donor. One of the main elements of the final decision for matching a donor with a recipient is how involved they want to be post-donation. If the recipients would like a heavy involvement from the donor they are then matched up as such and vice versa. 

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