Educational Webinars | Embryo Donation & Adoption

Most webinars presented by the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center are available here with a description of the content. For a more detailed explanation about the course levels visit the Levels of Adoption Agency Involvement section of the web site.

Visit the WEBINAR REGISTRATION section of the web site to see the most current schedule for webinars.

Click on the title to watch an archived recording of the webinar.

Level 1 - Acquire Knowledge About Embryo Adoption

The Affordable and Accessible Adoption Choice (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
When is embryo adoption the right choice? Embryo adoption allows your clients to experience pregnancy and give birth to their adopted child. They control the pre-natal environment, and are deemed the legal parent(s) of the child upon its birth. Embryo adoption is the least expensive form of adoption. This one-hour webinar will provide you a detailed look at the advantages of this unique and successful adoption option.

The Fundamentals of Embryo Donation and Adoption (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
This webinar provides an overview of the origins of embryo donation and adoption. We will define terminology and cover the overall processes available to couples for both donation and adoption.

Personal Stories: Donors Share Their Embryo Donation Stories (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Our webinar guests are donors who each faced this decision under different circumstances, hear directly from the heart about their experiences. Our guests include a donor who donated anonymously to a clinic, a donor who chose a designated donation and a donor who selected an open adoption through an embryo adoption program.

Getting Personal: Families Share Their Embryo Journeys (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Hear firsthand about the excitement, joys and trials of the embryo donation and adoption journey from those who have been there! Join us as 3 separate families share directly from the heart about their experiences, including both the donor and recipient of an embryo adoption and that of a donor who donated to a clinic.

Level 2 (Parents) - Education for Embryo Adoption/Donor Conception Parents

Embryo Adoption & the Best Practices of Adoption? (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Should the best practices of adoption really be applied to the donation of human embryos? Advances in the medical science of Assisted Reproductive Technologies have subsequently brought about the problem of hundreds of thousands of embryos in frozen storage. Learn how embryo donors, embryo adopters and their children benefit from what both history and psychology have taught us about the best practices of adoption.

How Open is Open Adoption? (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
This webinar presents the preconceptions and misperceptions that are often associated with the term open adoption It includes a brief history of adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and covers current adoption best practices surrounding donor and adopter family communication

How Do We Tell the Kids??? (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
This webinar discusses how you can tell your children about their embryo adoption or donor conception history. Join Kris Probasco, Executive Director of Adoption and Fertility Resources, as she discusses methods and tools to assist parents in telling their children about their unique method of joining the family at every developmental stage. Kids need to know their story!

It's Never Too Late: Telling Older Kids About Their Donor Conception (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
this webinar discusses how you can tell your older children about their embryo adoption or donor conception history. Join Kris Probasco, Executive Director of Adoption and Fertility Resources, as she discusses methods and tools to assist parents in telling their children about their unique method of joining the family, especially if they are not toddlers or preschoolers any longer. Kids need to know their story!

Shhhh...The Difference Between Secrecy & Privacy (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Embryo adoptions are private but do they have to be secret? How do you tell your extended family and friends about your embryo adoption? How much do they need to know? Why do they need to know? If it seems like it could be too much information is it? Do I tell my co-workers and acquaintances the same thing as I tell my sister? Join us as we examine how to share about your embryo adoption with the people around you and still protect your privacy.

Level 2 (Professtionals) - Staff Training and Client/Patient Education

Embryo Adoption: A Review of the Roman Catholic Conversation (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
There are many practicing Catholics in the United States. Catholics are not any less prone to experiencing infertility problems. The Church is clear on two issues: 1.) Life begins at conception and 2.) In vitro fertilization is not an option for achieving pregnancy. But what about the use of remaining frozen embryos? What does the Church have to say about Embryo Adoption? Do not miss the discussion during this one hour webinar.

Embryo Donation and Adoption: Dispelling the Myths (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Which is faster? Receiving donated embryos through a clinic or an agency? People donating embryos prefer doing so anonymously - true or false? Is it true that embryo adoption agencies will not accept embryos that were created with donor eggs? What is the truth? Uncover the facts about these questions and more - ranging from the cost of embryo adoption to the required levels of openness between the donor and recipient families.

Presenting Embryo Donation & Adoption: How to Educate Your Clients (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
CHOICE! Your clients depend on you to know about and educate them regarding all of the choices available to them. This webinar is designed to help you explore this unique adoption choice with your clients, giving them the knowledge they need to make informed choices that are right for them..

Donor Embryo Storage Solutions (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
This webinar introduces a new embryo storage opportunity through Fairfax Cryobank for donors who choose to donate their embryos to the Snowflakes® Embryo Adoption Program.

Professional Perspectives of Embryo Adoption (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Kris Probasco, Director, Adoption and Fertility Resources, Dr. Daniel Stewart, MD, Shawnee Mission Medical Center, and attorney Sandy Krigel, Krigel and Krigel, P.C., work together in a successful Embryo Adoption partnership program in Kansas City. All three professionals join us to discuss how their program works and why partnership may also be beneficial to your agency.

Level 3 - Professionals Providing Home Studies

How Do We Tell the Kids??? (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Kris Probasco, Director, Adoption and Fertility Resources, and Megan Fabian, Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program Manager discuss the intricacies of educating children regarding their genetic origins and how they became a member of the family.

It's Never Too Late: Telling Older Kids About Their Donor Conception (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
this webinar discuses how you can tell your older children about their embryo adoption or donor conception history. Join Kris Probasco, Executive Director of Adoption and Fertility Resources, as she discusses methods and tools to assist parents in telling their children about their unique method of joining the family, especially if they are not toddlers or preschoolers any longer. Kids need to know their story!

Husbands Wives & Partners: On The Same Page (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Most agency professionals would agree that husbands and wives should be in agreement when pursuing an adoption it is no different in embryo adoption but the issues that must be explored and discussed are different. At the same time, couples with remaining embryos often differ regarding the final disposition of those embryos when their family building is complete. Our experts will share from their professional experience how to assist your clients in discovering and solving differences prior to donation or adoption.

Embryo Quality & Cryopreservation (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Embryo quality has become more important for patients as they try and select donor embryos. Reproductive Endocrinologists are concerned about embryo quality in regard to how they are going to help patients achieve pregnancy success. The factors surrounding embryo quality are complex - especially given the fact that there are now over 600,000 embryos in frozen storage and many of them have been in storage for many years. Join us as Dr. Jeffrey Nelson of HRC Fertility untangles the term "embryo quality" and what traits hold significant impact to pregnancy success using donor embryos.

Psychological Consultations for Embryo Donors & Recipients (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Marie Davidson, Ph.D. resident Phychologist at the Fertility Centers of Illiniois, and Jana Rupnow, MA LPC-I of Fertiltity and Family, LPC, reveal their experiences in helping couples work through the emotional rollercoaster of infertility. What are the best methods for assisting patients regarding potential and actual remaining embryos? How can counseling personnel educate patients about the availablity of donated embryos as a cost-effective option.

Embryo Donation and Adoption: Minimizing Clinic Liability and Risk (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
This webinar covers the legal history of embryo donation and adoption and discusses current best practice methods to minimize clinic liability and risk.

Embryo Adoption: Counseling Donors and Adopters (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
A clinic psychologist and an agency counselor will provide insight into the need for counseling of both the donor and the adopter of embryos. A great presentation for clinics, agencies, donors and adopters.

Home Study for the Embryo Adoption: A Detailed Exploration (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Embryo adoptions are legally considered an exchange of property and are thus regulated by contract law rather than adoption law, but the end result is the birth of a child! Embryo adoption agencies agree that the best practice is to have the recipient (adopting) family complete a home study. Learn how to modify your current home study program to meet the educational and emotional needs of families bringing children home through this exciting new adoption choice.

The Donor Sibling Registry: Helping People Discover Their Roots (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Wendy Kramer, the founder of the Donor Sibling Registry(DSR)and Jana Rupnow of Fertility and Family LPC examine donor children and the grief and loss they experience regarding their genetic connections. Learn how the DSR came to be and how it is now helping thousands of children created via donor egg/sperm/embryo discover their origins and connect with genetic family members.

Level 4 - Establishing a Partnership with Fertility Clinics

Establishing an Embryo Adoption Program (Click the title to view a recording of this session.)
Interested in starting your own embryo adoption program but not quite sure where to begin? Rather than try to establish a nationwide program why not explore the possibilities of partnering with a local fertility clinic. This webinar is intended to help you begin building your embryo adoption program with a local focus.