Just like eggs, embryos are also donated and adopted. It is a kind of third party reproduction. Unlike egg donation, it is generally done without giving any compensation to the donor. The embryos remaining after an IVF treatment is used for another couple. It will be placed into the recipient woman’s uterus to facilitate pregnancy. Embryo adoption can be an option for the couple who are not able to conceive because of male and female infertility.
Fertility clinics have started embryo donation and adoption from the very old times itself. Embryo adoption was started in 1997 by Nightlight Inc. studies found that, there are over 3500 children who have born through embryo donation/adoption till date. The remaining embryos are collected and secured safely. They are frozen during the first to six days of their development. In each cane, only one to three embryos can be stored without damage. The storing canes will be kept in the laboratory. The embryos can be kept for short-term storage and long-term storage.
The term ‘donation’ is used in the sense of ‘giving a gift’. By giving the embryos to an infertile couple, the donor is helping an entire family. The donation can be done anonymously . The adoption process offers full legal rights to the adopting parents. The adoption process can be open or closed. In open adoption, the process is done by mutual agreement between the families. In closed adoption, there may not be any direct communication with the two parties.