Embryo adoption is an opportunity to grow your family but comes with emotional, financial, legal and medical considerations.
You could be considering it, or just want to learn more, but knowing the embryo adoption pros and cons can help you determine if it’s right for your situation.
Find out more about surrogacy and embryo adoption to determine if they’re right for your circumstances.Can You Adopt Embryos for Surrogacy?
What are Embryo Adoption’s Pros and Cons?
Embryo adoption could be right for your situation if it’s a fertility-related or personal decision.
When individuals or couples use in-vitro fertilization (IVF) as their form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to grow their families, not all of the embryos created are used.
The remaining embryos are:
- Saved for later use
- Donated for research
- Donated for other individuals or couples looking to grow their family or
- Destroyed
Adopting Embryos: How You Benefit
The benefits of embryo adoption include:
- Cost Effective: Cost is a common concern for those building their families through ART. Embryo adoption is typically lower in cost vs. traditional adoption, egg donation or IVF.
- Maternal Age Non-Applicable: Age is directly correlated with embryo creation, from quantity to quality. Whether you struggle to create embryos yourself or have few/none of high quality, embryo adoption offers a path to parenthood.
- Pivoting from IVF: IVF failure comes from embryo implantation failure. The root causes of that failure would be problems with the embryos or the uterus. If there are genetic abnormalities that prevent you from carrying, embryo adoption addresses and solves those issues.
Adopting Embryos: Here’s Why Not
Embryo adoption isn’t right for everyone. Although it has become another way for individuals or couples to grow their family, embryo adoption has its drawbacks too.
Embryo adoption and embryo donation are very similar; the only difference in the U.S. comes from how they are regulated.
Adopting an embryo is not legally considered adoption. Embryos in the U.S. are considered property, not a person, and are typically regulated by property law.
Another drawback to embryo adoption is the unnecessary costs and steps that some programs have that treat it like a traditional adoption.
Some professionals add unnecessary costs by treating it this way, such as home studies that can range from $1,500-$3,400 and may not even be legally required.
Finally, you may say “adopting embryos, here’s why not,” if having a genetic connection to your child is important.
An embryo adoption uses embryos from another individual or couple that has gone through IVF and is done growing their family.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Embryo Adoption?
Good candidates for embryo adoption are:
- Individuals or couples who are having fertility issues
- Unexplained infertility or don’t want to pass on genetic disorders affecting you or your partner
- Concerns with cost or frustration with IVF and other treatments
- Single individuals
- LGBT couples
What Happens When You Adopt an Embryo?
- Step 1: Choose your adoption type.
- Step 2: Contact a professional.
- Step 3: Complete your home study (if necessary).
- Step 4: Embryo selection/matching.
- Step 5: Complete the legal process.
- Step 6: Embryo transfer and implantation.
What are the Ethical Issues with Embryo Adoption?
This has been a debate since the practice began. This 1996 paper named two main concerns with the ethics of embryo adoption as the psychological effect it can have on the donating couple and the lack of a genetic connection embryo adoptees have with their child.
Embryo Adoption and Surrogacy
One of the many reasons that embryo adoption is a viable path to parenthood is if you have been experiencing recurrent IVF failures. Embryo adoption addresses the emotional and medical considerations.
Whether it’s the physical or emotional toll multiple IVF cycles can have that have you thinking about your alternatives or you are unable to carry yourself, surrogacy can still give you a chance to become a parent.
Embryo adoption and surrogacy could also be right for you if:
- You are concerned about the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or have struggled with IVF due to embryo quality or quantity.
- You or your partner is biologically incapable of conceiving or bearing a child, such as an infertile couple, a single person or gay male couple.
To learn more about how surrogacy and embryo adoption can fulfill your goal of being a parent, fill out our online contact form.