Embryo donation can help women and men grow their families

When a couple goes through cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and successfully grows their family with our “one embryo, one baby” approach, they may end up with extra embryos. When this happens, an opportunity to help another family appears. The couple can utilize embryo donation to give their extra frozen embryos to patients who desperately want to start a family of their own.

If you have built the family you’ve always dreamed about and know you don’t want any more children, our Southern California fertility center team can help you make important decisions about your remaining embryos.

Who receives donor embryos?

Women with unexplained or untreatable fertility issues are good candidates for conceiving with donor embryos. It’s also an option for couples with genetic disorders and other medical conditions that might not be able to otherwise welcome a baby.

We do preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) on the embryos at our Southern California fertility center, so prospective parents can have peace of mind that they’ll receive high-quality embryos.

Who benefits from embryo donation?

Parents who donate their embryos gain the satisfaction of knowing they helped another couple build their family. Donor embryo recipients gain the opportunity to carry a baby, give birth and have the child they’ve always wanted. It’s a win-win situation.

However, embryo donation is a personal choice, so you’ll never be pressured to pursue it. If you don’t want to donate your embryos, you can continue to store them, discard them or donate them to research.

Considerations for patients with extra embryos

Parents who are thinking about donating their remaining embryos must be sure they don’t want to have more children. There are also a few other considerations.

• Will they release their information to the donor recipients?
• Should they have any contact with the resulting children?
• How do they feel about having more genetic offspring in the world?
• Will they tell their children about their decision?
• Do they have legal counsel, and have they signed a binding contract?

If you and your partner feel that donating your extra embryos is the right thing to do, then you should proceed. You’ll be giving the best gift anyone could give to another couple trying to have a baby.

Contact us to learn more about embryo donation at our Southern California fertility center. Our team can answer all your questions to help you have clarity before making this decision.