Information for Embryo Donors
After an IVF cycle many patients have remaining embryos that are cryopreserved for future use. After the first year of storage which is included in the cryopreservation fee patients are given the opportunity to choose an option for the remaining embryos. The options include: using them for further family building, keeping them frozen for an additional year(s), donating them for stem cell research, discarding the embryos, and anonymously donating the embryos to another couple.
For many patients who understand the struggle of infertility treatment they choose the option of donating the embryos to fertility patients who require donor eggs and possibly donor sperm to conceive.
At IVF New Jersey we have a great need for donated embryos and there are many patients on the list to receive embryos who wait patiently for up to two years for the chance to receive these embryos.
There are several steps in the process of embryo donation. The steps begin with selecting the option of anonymous embryo donation from the questionnaire mailed to you regarding the disposition of your frozen embryos. After we receive that selection a packet describing the process along with paperwork to be completed will be mailed to you. If after review of your completed documents you are eligible to donate your embryos you will be contacted to schedule a consultation with a psychologist to review important issues regarding embryo donation. At that appointment you will also be signing consents to donate the embryos. The gamete (egg and sperm) providers of the embryos will also be required to have a physical exam and updated infectious disease blood work as per Food and Drug Administration guidelines. If you have moved out of town we can arrange for the above to be done locally without the need for you to travel to New Jersey. You will not be financially responsible for any of the consultations or blood tests associated with donating your embryos.
If the blood work and psychological evaluation is within normal limits your embryos will be anonymously donated to a couple waiting for them. As an anonymous embryo donation you will not receive any information about the couple you are donating to, but we will release pregnancy outcome information to you upon request. The couple receiving your embryos will only get a non-identifying profile on you. This profile includes physical characteristics, medical history and personal information.
Donated embryos are in high demand and the decision to donate embryos to another couple brings great joy to infertile couples who have exhausted their family building options.
Information for Embryo Recipients
IVF New Jersey offers the option of embryo donation to couples who require egg and sperm donors to achieve a pregnancy or who have exhausted other avenues to conceive. Donated embryos are from IVF patients who generally have had a successful fertility treatment and have completed their family. The embryos can be from a patient and partner or from an egg or sperm donor. The source of the embryos will be screened medically and psychologically.
If you are interested in receiving donated embryos there are several steps involved in the process. The first is to schedule an appointment with an IVF New Jersey physician to discuss your options including embryo donation. If after meeting with your physician you feel that you want to pursue embryo donation you will be placed on the waiting list for an embryo(s). Unfortunately, because of the high demand for embryos as well as the limited availability of them, the wait time for an embryo(s) is approximately 6 months to 2 years.
Once we contact you that embryos are available for your use, you will be sent profiles on the egg and sperm source which include the donors’ physical characteristics, medical history, and personal information for review. Once you select an embryo to move forward with, you will need to meet with the psychologist for a consultation, sign consent forms with the doctor, and update any additional screening needed. You will also meet with a billing representative to discuss the costs of completing an embryo donation cycle. There is no fee for the embryos but you will be responsible for the medical and psychological screening costs of the couple donating their embryos.
The treatment process for embryo recipients involves the administration of the natural hormones typically produced during a menstrual cycle, estradiol and progesterone. The embryos are thawed and transferred to the recipient’s uterus after approximately 3 weeks of hormonal treatment. If pregnant these hormones are continued throughout most of the first trimester and discontinued when the pregnancy is producing them in adequate quantity.