Embryo Adoption: A Guide to a Unique Path to Parenthood

Whether you’re at the end of your in vitro fertilization (IVF) journey and want to help others experience pregnancy and raise a child, or you’re seeking the family you’ve always dreamed of, embryo adoption has an opportunity for you. 

When a family completes the IVF process, they are often left with extra embryos, or fertilized eggs. These embryos are typically frozen, in case the woman wants to have another child. Sometimes, the family ultimately decides to donate a frozen embryo to a couple or individual, who uses it to become pregnant. 

For recipients, embryo adoption provides a path to becoming parents. For donors, it’s an opportunity to help those who want to build a family but struggle to do so on their own. This guide takes an in-depth look at embryo adoption from both viewpoints, exploring the process from start to finish. 

What Is Embryo Adoption? A Blend of Science and Heart

Embryo adoption helps couples and individuals build families using donors’ generosity and cutting-edge technology. While the medical process is fairly straightforward, the legal aspects depend largely on who you are and where you live. 

The Medical Process: Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

While the FET process uses the same technology as IVF, FET requires fewer advanced screenings and tests. The health care provider transfers the thawed, donated embryo to the recipient mother’s uterus using a thin catheter that passes through the cervix. The embryo must be placed in exactly the right spot, so the provider uses an ultrasound of the mother’s uterus to guide the catheter and deposit the embryo. The entire procedure takes place while the woman is awake, and lasts for about 15 minutes.

The Legal Process: Property Donation and Child Adoption

The embryo adoption process is legally complex and varies from state to state. Because of this, it’s important that donors and recipient families both seek legal counsel. 

Frozen embryos are considered property, so they must be transferred from the donors to the prospective parents. This requires signing a contract that describes the donor’s and recipient’s rights and responsibilities. Families generally use an attorney or adoption agency to help them draw up a contract.

In many situations, this contract is enough to designate a woman or couple as legal adoptive parents. In some scenarios, however, the parent or parents may be required to formally adopt the newborn in court. For example, same-sex couples who hire a surrogate may need to establish parental rights in this way. Certain states, such as Georgia, and certain embryo adoption programs give parents the option of completing a formal adoption, but in general, parental rights are granted to the woman who carried the baby and her partner  immediately after the baby is born. 

Who Chooses Embryo Adoption? Two Sides of the Journey

For Recipient Parents: A Path to Experience Pregnancy

There are a host of reasons why single women and couples choose embryo adoption. Unlike traditional adoption, receiving an embryo allows a woman to experience pregnancy and childbirth firsthand. This makes the process appealing to many single women, and to couples who struggle with infertility. For these couples, embryo adoption offers a path to parenthood, whether the man or the woman is facing fertility challenges. It can also be an option for older women who are concerned about the viability of their own eggs.

Embryo adoption also holds some advantages over traditional adoption. It typically costs less to adopt an embryo than a newborn, or to undergo IVF. The process usually takes less time to complete than traditional adoption, and requires less legal intervention. Parents don’t have to worry about the birth mother changing her mind when they adopt an embryo. Most of the time, the baby is legally theirs as soon as they are born. 

For Donor Parents: A Loving Option for Remaining Embryos

Often, a couple’s IVF journey ends with the difficult decision of whether to freeze, donate, or discard the remaining embryos. Some pay an annual fee to keep the embryos frozen, allowing them to have more children later, if they choose. Others donate the embryos to scientific research, or choose to discard them. 

This choice ultimately depends on an individual’s personal and possibly religious beliefs. For many people, discarding or donating embryos to science goes against their ethical code or simply doesn’t feel right. Others dislike the idea of leaving their embryos in cold storage, potentially for years. 

Embryo donation offers an affirming alternative that provides the remaining embryos a chance at life. Families who donate embryos give others the opportunity to experience parenthood. Donation even allows families to adopt multiple embryos from the same couple and potentially give birth to siblings who are genetically related. 

Embryo Adoption vs. Other Family-Building Options

The Recipient’s Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Choosing an Agency or Clinic

The first step on your journey is to decide if you’ll go through an agency or work with a fertility clinic. A few adoption agencies in the United States specialize in embryo adoption and donation. More commonly, fertility clinics operate embryo adoption programs. However, some clinics reserve their services for previous clients only. 

Agencies tend to have stricter adoption criteria and higher fees than fertility clinics.That said, there is typically more communication between donors and recipients who work through an agency. It’s all about what you prefer. If you’ve already been working with a reproductive endocrinologist, they may be able to recommend an agency or clinic.

Step 2: The Home Study and Application

While fertility clinics don’t require home studies, many embryo adoption agencies ask prospective parents to complete a formal application and undergo a home study. During a home study, a social worker inspects your house to ensure that it is safe, clean, and contains the necessities required for a child to thrive there. The social worker also interviews you and your family to get a better understanding of your lifestyle, medical background, financial status, and values. Most agencies charge a home study fee, which varies from state to state. 

Step 3: The Matching Process

Once you complete the home study, you can begin the matching process. This typically takes place online. While this part of the process may differ among agencies and clinics, most ask you to fill out an online profile that describes the criteria most important to you. If you’re seeking donors with certain physical characteristics, personality traits, or beliefs, this is the place to let others know. It’s also crucial to describe how much future contact you wish to have with the donor family—for example, do you want an open or closed adoption?

Typically, agencies look over donor profiles and alert prospective parents to potential matches. Agencies also facilitate communication between both parties until they reach an arrangement.

Step 4: The Legal Contracts

Once you’ve found the perfect donor, it’s time to reach out to an attorney who specializes in adoption law. Your lawyer will work with the donor family’s lawyer to draft and finalize a contract that gives you full ownership of the embryos. The contract outlines your rights and responsibilities as the owner, and determines how much future contact you may have with the donor family. The contract also addresses what will happen to any remaining embryos after the transfer.

Step 5: The Medical Cycle and Transfer

Before the FET, a fertility specialist administers multiple tests, such as uterine ultrasounds and blood tests, to get a better idea of you or the recipient mother’s health. These assessments are followed by a series of hormone injections to prepare the uterus for the transfer. The health care provider may also prescribe oral medications or hormonal suppositories. 

The Donor’s Journey: Giving a Precious Gift

Donating your embryos is a courageous decision, and one that requires a great deal of consideration and discussion with your partner. If you’ve decided to help someone else build their family with your donated embryos, your first step should be contacting a fertility clinic or embryo adoption agency. Most agencies expect donors to undergo health screenings and provide a detailed medical history. Some also require consultation with a mental health professional.

Once you’re approved for donation, you can add your profile to your agency or clinic’s database. While you may explore potential recipients’ profiles, the agency will likely notify you if they find a potential match, and facilitate communication between you and the prospective parents. However, you remain in control of your embryos until any legal paperwork is signed, and you are free to change your mind at any point in the process until then.

After an agreement is made between you and the recipients, it’s time to contact an attorney with a background in adoption rights. They will work with you, the adoptive family, and their attorney to draw up a contract outlining your rights and responsibilities, confidentiality issues, and what should be done with any remaining embryos. The contract should also ensure that, as the donor, you are not liable for any damages.

Common Questions About Embryo Adoption

How much does embryo adoption cost?

Embryo adoption typically costs $10,000-$20,000, including medical procedures, attorney fees, and agency fees. It’s usually more affordable than IVF, and it’s certainly less expensive than traditional adoption, which can cost up to $60,000 for a domestic adoption through a private agency. 

What are the success rates for embryo transfer? 

It’s difficult to provide exact rates, because FET success depends on a variety of factors. The mother’s age and whether she has previously been pregnant, the donor’s health status, and embryo quality are just a few of many variables affecting FET. 

Statistics describing success rates also tend to differ among fertility clinics, making it hard to pin down exact numbers. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) tracks success rates by parental age. According to the CDC, a 36-year-old woman using a donor embryo has a 41.9% chance of conceiving and giving birth. While the likelihood is slightly higher for younger women, and slightly lower for older women, this percentage remains mostly stable over time.

Can we have an open relationship with the other family?

Open embryo adoption, in which the donor family and recipient family have regular communication, is certainly possible. Just like with traditional adoption, you can also choose to have limited contact with the other family and any potential children, or you can donate or receive anonymously. 

Is Embryo Adoption Right for You?

Embryo adoption is a less-traveled path to parenthood that connects families through acts of generosity, courage, and hope. While it’s not right for everyone, embryo adoption can be a unique way to build the family you’ve always dreamed of, or to help others achieve their dream. If you think embryo adoption or donation might be the best choice for you, we can help! Connect with a specialist to discuss your options, and get started on this life-changing path.

Sources

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4. Accessed on October 12, 2025. https://www.bllaws.com/blog/2023/12/legal-issues-surrounding-embryo-donation-and-adoption/ 
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