Advanced Reproductive Care: Embryo Donation Offers Opportunities for Infertile Couples, but Many Factors Need to be Considered
Embryo donation plays an important role in fertility treatments: Here is what you should know
SARATOGA, Calif., March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Embryo donation has become a popular procedure to address infertility, but according to Dr. David Adamson, founder and CEO of ARC Fertility (www.arcfertility.com), the largest network of fertility specialists in the United States, it is critical for patients to consider some difficult issues associated with both donating or receiving donated embryos.
"For starters, it's important to understand the terminology," says Adamson, "'Embryo donation' is defined as giving remaining embryos resulting from in vitro fertilization to either another person or couple. It offers a great option for couples struggling with infertility and is more affordable than using fresh donor eggs or traditional adoption – but it does not come without difficult decisions. For couples donating embryos, this includes feelings that they might be giving away siblings of children they already have. For couples receiving donated embryos, it might be that they are receiving donated embryos only because they have few other options. Nevertheless, embryo donation can be a great choice for both those donating who are giving a wonderful gift to a couple wanting a child, and those receiving who have an opportunity to have a family that otherwise would not be possible. So the chances of having a child with embryo donation are very favorable, but there are obviously many emotions for everyone involved in the process."
Embryo donation is followed by the placement of those embryos into the recipient's uterus to facilitate pregnancy and childbirth. Similar to egg and sperm donation, the resulting child is considered the child of the birth mother, and not the child of the donor. In most cases, the embryos are donated after the woman for whom they were originally created has successfully carried one or more pregnancies to term. Embryo donation is sometimes referred to as embryo adoption, but this is not technically correct in most legal terms since the process is most often treated as a sperm or egg donation would be. Most clinics provide assistance with the process for couples, ensuring that both parties are protected and comfortable with the procedure.
"In addition to those patients receiving donated embryos, we advise couples to consider donating their unused embryos to others because currently only a few couples choose this option – most couples either pay for storage for many years, a few donate to research and some discard the embryos," according to Adamson. "Storage can be very costly, donating to research is only a good option if you have a clear understanding about the research project, the procedures and the scientific value of the research, and discarding results in loss of the embryos' potential."
Many ARC network clinics offer egg and embryo donation packages as well as financing options for the procedures.
About Advanced Reproductive Care, Inc. (ARC)
With more than 17 years of experience, Advanced Reproductive Care, Inc. (ARC) provides affordable, evidence-based fertility treatment packages and financing options to people living with infertility. Founded by world-renowned, Stanford-trained, board certified reproductive endocrinologist Dr. David Adamson, ARC offers the largest network of board-certified fertility specialists in the United States. To check out our exciting new and improved website, please visit www.arcfertility.com
Press Contact:
Richard Berman
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SOURCE Advanced Reproductive Care, Inc. (ARC)
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