If you have never heard about Embryo adoption or adoption of embryos, it may interest you to know more about this alternative which is not only cheaper but also shorter. This treatment has the same success rates as an IVF treatment with a double donation (donor eggs and donor sperm).

What does an embryo adoption look like?

Embryo adoption is a simple and very effective technique. When patients come to IVF-Life for an IVF treatment, there are often more embryos generated than children wished by the couple. Our advanced techniques of Reproductive Medicine also allow us to transfer one single embryo, keeping up with the success rates.  The result is a surplus on high quality embryos ready to be donated to other patients who need it.

In Spain the law of Reproduction Medicine says that all the remaining embryos have to be frozen. Afterwards the patient has to choose what to do with these embryos.

Will I have to go through ovarian stimulation?

Another important fact to keep in mind is that the patient doesn’t need to go through ovarian stimulation, so the intake of hormones is not necessary. If you have already done a fertility treatment, you will know that this part is one of the most difficult ones, due to the possible secondary effects.

For this treatment it is not necessary to generate eggs, nor a period of incubation until the blastocyst stage, day 5-6 of the development of the embryo. This reduces the cost of the treatment.

The only medication necessary is the one to prepare the endometrium. It is really important to prepare the environment where the future baby has to implant. The intake of this medicine will be oral or vaginal, avoiding this way the injections.

Where do the donated embryos come from?

The donated embryos come from couples who have already done a successful fertility treatment at our clinic and have now decided to help others to become parents as well. With their own eggs, donor eggs or with a double donation (both donor eggs and sperm) they have achieved their dream of parenthood and have now taken the beautiful and altruistic decision to donate their cryopreserved embryos.

Embryos frozen with liquid nitrogen can survive for a long time. There have been cases of babies born out of embryos that were frozen for 20 years.

Steps to adopt an embryo

There are some steps that are not necessary for this treatment, so it is faster than other treatments.

1. First medical treatment. You will be able to resolve all your doubts with one of our experts, who will study your case and give you all the information you need about embryo adoption.
2. Preparation of the endometrium. The endometrium of the patient has to be prepared with oestrogen and progesterone during 10-12 days in order to get the wished thickness to help the success of the implantation.
3. Embryo Selection. All embryos are stored in our cryopreservation tanks. In order to choose the best ones for each patient, the choice is made by three main factors: phenotype, blood group, Rh.
4. Embryo Transfer. The day of the transfer is one of the most important of the entire treatment. That same day the embryo defrosting
   takes place and the medical team will discuss with the patient how many should be transferred. Although the Spanish Society of Fertility allows up to three, we always recommend the transfer of one single embryo.
5. Pregnancy test. 10 days after the embryo transfer it is the right moment for a blood test, in order to see if the transfer resulted in a pregnancy. If the levels of the Beta hCG are high, we can confirm the success of the transfer.
6. First ultrasound scans. Two weeks after the confirmation of the positive β-hCG it is time for an ultrasound to see if the pregnancy is developing correctly. As always IVF-Life is by your side during these first ultrasound scans, which are exciting.

What are the advantages of embryo adoption?

Embryo adoption has many advantages for those who have already gone through a few failed attempts, but don’t want to give up the dream of parenthood.

Shorter process

As for all our treatments, there is no waiting list. The duration of the treatment is even shorter, as the embryos are already frozen and ready to be transferred.

The endometrial preparation is very simple and easy and consist in the intake of transdermal oestrogen patches or oral and vaginal progesterone tablets (the intake of the medication will continue during first weeks of the pregnancy).

Less visits to the clinic

One ultrasound check is enough to decide the right moment for the embryo transfer. That reduces the number of necessary visits to the clinic.

High success rates

Thanks to the improvement of the cryopreservation techniques, the survival rate of embryos is higher than 95%, the pregnancy rate reaching 45% and the implantation rate 36%.

Lower costs

The cost of the treatment is reduced, as no donor selection nor a controlled ovarian stimulation are necessary. The work of the laboratory is reduced to the defrosting of the eggs, monitoring and transfer.

Another good reason

This last reason is very special. On one hand we have to be thankful for those who decide to donate their embryos to help others to become parents. On the other hand, we have to be thankful for those who decide to adopt an embryo and to give it the chance to become a baby.

Do you need more information? Don’t hesitate to contact us through this form so our experts can have a look at your case.