With the advent of IVF and related techniques, many infertility issues once considered insurmountable are being addressed with great success. Most clinics now boast of IVF success rates in the range of 30 - 60 percent. However, IVF is still not a cure for infertility, nor is it an exact science, as each couple and situation is unique. Therefore, during IVF treatments, couples harvest multiple eggs and produce many embryos; embryos that are not used in the first transfer are frozen for future attempts. Frozen embryos represent hope for infertile couples. If the couple conceives without using all of the stored embryos, they may choose to have the remaining unused embryos donated or placed for adoption. This gracious act allows the child to be born and offers other infertile couples the experience of pregnancy and birth.
Embryo adoption is a relatively new process in which individuals who have their own frozen embryos agree to release them to the adopting couple. The adopting family may either be known or anonymous to the donors. The intent is that the embryos will be transferred into the womb of the adopting mother so that she and her husband may bear a child and be that child's parents.
The number of embryos currently in storage in the United States is approaching 500,000. Of this number, the majority are still being used by the creating parents for their own family building efforts. Many couples with remaining frozen embryos are faced with the difficult decision of what to do with them. Their options include a.) destroy them, b.) donate them for stem cell research, c.) donate them to another family, d.) keep them frozen. By choosing to keep them frozen the couple risks losing control of the final disposition of the remaining embryos. What will happen in the event of a divorce? The death of a spouse? The death of both parents?
The Embryo Donation and Adoption Awareness Campaign exists to help both donating and adopting families learn more about this life affirming option.
