Last week, in honor of ‘Back-to-School’ season, we shared four facts about embryo adoption and donation. Here are four more facts that you also may not have known:
1. The number of frozen embryo transfers (or FETs) performed with embryos that were adopted or donated have doubled in recent years.
According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, donated or adopted embryos were used in 1,084 FETs in 2013, up from 596 in 2009. There are currently 8 embryo adoption programs in the U.S. who are helping families pursue this little known adoption choice. In addition, there are almost 200 fertility clinics across the U.S. who run in-house embryo donation programs.
2. There is a difference between an embryo donation program and an embryo adoption program.
Embryo donation programs provide potential embryo recipients information on the embryos as well as the medical information about the donor. However, due to the anonymous nature of clinic donation programs, the information is limited. There is usually no way to receive more information from the donor after the embryos are received and a baby is born.
Embryo adoption programs will allow both donors and adopters to share as much information as they would like with each other. They also provide safe guards to protect all parties involved. These programs tend to be more child-centric in their processes, as well as providing resources and guidance as the families make their way through the programs.
3. Embryo adoption is more affordable than most other family building methods.
One in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, cycle can run from $12,000 to $15,000. This price does not include the required medication, which can be an extra $3,000 to $5,000. Sometimes, couples need to use donor sperm or eggs to create viable embryos. While donor sperm is relatively inexpensive (only running about $300 to $1,500 per donation), donor eggs are not. The cost of human egg donation can add $10,000 – $50,000 to the IVF cycle cost.
After failed fertility treatments, some couples turn to adoption. However, traditional forms of adoption can also be extremely expensive—usually just as expensive as IVF. Domestic adoption can costs $25,000 to $35,000 and international adoption costs $25,000 to $45,000. In comparison, embryo adoption costs around $10,000 – $17,500, depending on the agency.
4. Embryo adoption has one of the most secure placements.
In the United States, the woman who gives birth to a child is identified as the child’s mother at birth and her name, and the man to whom she is married, is placed on the birth certificate. No further court actions are required to declare you the legal parent. Placing parents also relinquish their parental rights and responsibilities in the contract.
Do you have remaining embryos in frozen storage? Wondering if embryo donation or adoption is the right path for you? Visit embryoadoption.org or watch out latest overview webinar.
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