When families consider donating their remaining embryos, one of the first questions they often ask is why updated blood testing is necessary. The embryos may have been created years earlier, and many donors feel confident that they were thoroughly screened at that time. However, because embryo donation involves giving live, human tissue to another person, the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) requires specific health and safety measures to protect all parties involved.
Understanding why these tests matter, and how they help ensure safe, ethical embryo donation and adoption can make the process feel far less confusing and far more reassuring. Let’s walk through the purpose behind the testing, what is screened for, and why updated results are essential before embryos can be donated.
What is donor eligibility?
The FDA established standard recommendations to evaluate donor eligibility. If you are donating live, human tissue (or in this case, your embryos), you are now considered a donor. Since the embryo will be transferred into another person, the FDA and fertility clinics alike want to ensure your donation will not cause an increased risk to the recipient for communicable diseases.
What tests are performed?
The blood tests that are performed test for communicable diseases, such as sexually transmitted infections, diseases transmitted through blood exposure, and illnesses associated with international travel.
The FDA requires that any embryo donations be accompanied by:
- A health risk assessment be completed by the donor.
- A written acknowledgement from the donor’s physician that the donor has had a physical within the last 12 months.
- Updated bloodwork results, with the standard recommended list of blood tests*.
*If you are genetically related to the embryos you are donating, you will be required to complete this updated bloodwork as part of the embryo donation process.
Why is updated blood work necessary?
Some embryo donors assume updated testing is not necessary because their embryos were previously used for FETs, or because communicable diseases can be contracted after embryos are created. However, updated testing remains essential.
One reason is that most fertility clinics will require that the testing results be provided before accepting embryos into their facility. If you are attempting to place embryos with an adoptive couple through a third-party embryo adoption program, it may not be possible to find a match for your embryos if the updated testing has not been completed.
Another reason is that periodically, the FDA updates the list of required tests given to tissue donors. If your embryos were created more than 10 years ago, it is possible that many tests required today were not performed when you were going through your IVF cycle. Updated bloodwork helps identify infections that may not have been detected when the embryos were created and ensures the safety of all involved.
For example, a couple completed the required bloodwork before donating their embryos, and one of the partners tested positive for West Nile Virus. A review of their travel history revealed that they had visited several international locations shortly before creating the embryos. At the time they were going through IVF, West Nile Virus was not a required test on the FDA screening, so it did not appear on the original testing. However, because it was detected in their updated retro testing, no fertility clinic could accept their embryos for donation.
How much does it cost?
If you are donating your embryos independently, without the support of a third-party program, the cost of required bloodwork can vary depending on your provider. It may cost several hundred, or even over $1,000. In some cases, your health insurance may cover part or all of these expenses. However, if you choose to donate through an embryo donation or adoption program, they may handle the bloodwork for you and offer additional benefits designed to support embryo donor families.
Ultimately, updated blood testing is not meant to create unnecessary barriers for embryo donors, but to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone involved in the donation process.
By following FDA guidelines and completing current screening requirements, donors help ensure their embryos can be accepted by fertility clinics and placed with recipient families in a safe, ethical, and responsible way. While the testing may feel redundant or inconvenient, it plays a vital role in protecting recipients, honoring regulatory standards, and preserving the opportunity for embryos to be placed with loving adopting families.
To learn more about embryo donation and adoption, visit EmbryoAdoption.org.
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