This is part 4 of a 6 part series discussing avenues of adoption. In the first three weeks we’ve covered Agency Adoptions, Adoption Consultants, and Private Adoptions.
What is embryo adoption?
Embryo adoption is when another family has gone through IVF and they have frozen embryos left over. They don’t want to destroy those embryos. They view them as having life and want to give those embryos an opportunity to live by donating them to a family, with the hopes that that other family becomes pregnant and can give birth with that child.
There are two major players in the embryo adoption realm that assist with embryo adoptions. Each of them have different requirements, but here is a general overview of what would typically be considered for an embryo adoption.
Qualifications for Embryo Adoption
- Residence: You can be a resident of any state and do embryo adoption. Depending on the program, you may or may not have to travel for the procedure.
- Marital Status: Typically you need to be married at least three years before you will be approved to be in the embryo adoption program.
- Financial Stability: Just like other adoption types, you’ll just need to show financial stability and that you are able to raise a child after you give birth. This can be demonstrated through a basic home study.
- Medical: You will need to consider two things. First, you need to be able to show you have a normal life expectancy. Second, you need to be able to show that you are a good candidate for the program and would be able to carry a child to term, and/or at least be able to become pregnant. Typically they consider women between the ages of 25 and 45.
When it comes to embryo adoptions, you are able to request some preferences, but not all. Normally, the embryos are not genetically determined to be male or female before adoption. So a lot of times, you’re just going to have to be open to either gender. You can be specific about race, and if you would like to have a relationship with the genetic family.
Realistically, the wait time can be between eight to ten months. Generally, there are more embryos available than there are families looking to adopt. So, the adoption process can take less than a year. The cost can range from $12,000 to $16,000 with the bulk of the money being for the medical procedure.
Embryo adoption is ideal for a family who really wants to be able to experience pregnancy. It gives families control over the pregnancy in terms of what substances you put in your body, what you eat, and different things like that. It allows you control of the prenatal environment of the baby, which draws some families to embryo adoption.
Want to learn more about embryo adoption? Check out my latest Youtube video. And stay tuned next week. I’ll be sharing about foster care adoption!
