The Office of Population Affairs (OPA), within the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) is responsible for administering the embryo adoption public awareness campaign grants and cooperative agreements, which have the shared goal of increasing public awareness of embryo donation and/or adoption. The increasing success of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has resulted in a situation in which an infertile couple typically creates several embryos through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). There are an estimated 500,000 frozen embryos in the United States. During IVF treatments, couples may produce many embryos for attempt at becoming pregnant with several being cryopreserved (frozen) for future use. If a couple becomes pregnant without using all of the stored embryos, they may choose to release the remaining unused embryos for donation and adoption allowing other infertile couples the experience of pregnancy and birth. Embryo donation and/or adoption is a relatively new process in which individuals who have extra frozen embryos agree to release the embryos for transfer to the uterus of another woman, either known or anonymous to the donor(s) for the purpose of the recipient(s) attempting to bear a child and be that child's parent. The purpose of the grant program is to increase awareness of embryo donation/adoption as a family building option.

Embryo Donation and Adoption Public Awareness Campaign Legislative Background
"During hearings devoted to Stem Cell research, the Committee became aware of approximately 100,000 spare frozen embryos stored in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics throughout the United States. The Committee is also aware of many infertile couples, who, if educated about the possibility, may choose to implant such embryos into the woman and, potentially, bear children. The Committee therefore directs the Department to launch a public awareness campaign to educate Americans about the existence of these spare embryos and adoption options. The Committee has provided $1,000,000 for this purpose."-Pg 244 of Senate Report 107-84.

In Spring 2003, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) released information estimating the number of human embryos in frozen storage in the United States to be in excess of 400,000, far greater than had been originally anticipated. There are now estmated to be more than 500,000 frozen embryos in storage throughout the U.S.A.

Grant recipients are listed on the HHS grant web site. Government Grants

Public Law 107-116, the Fiscal Year 2002 Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

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