Adopting embryo's

[bella73]

I know that I have seen many people on this site going with egg donors. Do anyone have info on adopting embryos? We live in Ontario Canada and I am unable to find info on this subject. We just suffered another m/c.

I am also interested in travelling to the states for an Embryo transfer if needed. Both Dh and I are wondering if a donor egg & sperm combo would be our best bet. We have spent so much money already with 6 iui's 2 fresh ivf's and 2 frozen ivf cylces. If we could purchase/adopt embryo's this may be the most feasible. I welcome any suggestion's or stories.

[Dreaming_In_Pink]

I am glad to find this topic! We have been hoping to find donated embies. We have been told that most of the places adopting out the donated embryos that we cannot specify a gender. We have been blessed with 4 fantastic boys, but would like a daughter. The catch is, I have had 5 csections (i was a traditional surrogate) and can only carry one more. Now I know we can go create a bunch of embryos but we are terrified that someone would not accept these left over embies and I will feel horrible for having made them. I wish there was a way to work with another couple who wanted boy embies so we could all get what we wanted.

[mhv]

Ok, I just realized it blocked the website!  the part in between the w's and the .com is    californiaconceptions     It looks like a great plan!

[mhv]

I just found a place in CA that has a donor embryo  program.... www.*********************.c o m

[usuk]

My doctor said it is almost always an egg problem. The egg plays a major role and is very precious. Which is why we make one a month and a man makes a gazillion sperm a day. But to be safe you could ask your RE is the sperm might be an issue.

Many places in the states do a share program. Which means you and another woman share eggs from a donor. Or you can share with 2 other women. It is about 1/2 the cost ($15- 17k vs $30k).

Also look for big centers in NY that do studies. Sometimes under 40 or under 38 you can spend less on IVF or IVF with donor if they can put you into a study. Check on the Center for Human Repro in NY to see an example of studies and also their donor program info.

If you need a sperm and an egg donor, it might not be any different than adopting an embryo and it would be at least $10k cheaper. Just my humble opinion.

If you decide to come to NY you have a home away from home with two golden retrievers to lick your face.

XO

[mhv]

Thanks!  I do think I checked them out once... are they expensive?  Or maybe there wasn't alot of activity on there?  I can't remember, but will def. look again!! : )


thanks agin!

[marsi2]

I'm not really sure all the logistics on the price with my Dr. I will probably see him later in the week and talk to him when I go in for our next step (still cramping like crazy so almost certain AF will be here :-() Still, I guess just weighing the difference in price with some of the other procedures, this will the way we go. I am scared, but very very excited.

I think we should definitely kick around the idea further about the embryo donations....I think God is great and he will help us help others...and ourselves in the process.

I am so happy for you that you found your angel and will pray for success for you in April!

[nshapland]

Google Miracles Waiting --it's a website that connects donors and potential recipients...

[mhv]

Welcome!!!   I think Donor Embies are a great choice! (of course, I may be biased)  You know there is one person on here who did donor embies with success, but for the life of me, I cannot remember her name.  I wish I could!!!!  


I am Very fortunate to have had my "angel" approach me!  I am forever grateful to her!  I don't think she will EVER know how much I appreciate her selflessness!!  She, to me, is an answer to a prayer!  

Alot of clinic's will do the transfer for just the cost of the FET... do you know why your Doc is charging so much?  I guess that it maybe covers all the pre testing??  Just curious.
But still a great value, and a wonderful chance of working  : )

I would LOVE to start something up, but honestly I wouldn't even know where to start!  How wonderful would it be to have a place that women looking for someone they connect with to donate their embies too, and for women who are looking do have embies donated to them, find a place to do so that doesn't cost an arm and a leg!

[marsi2]

I am so thankful to have come across this post! I have recently done 3 cycles of IUI and am praying that AF does not come in the next couple of days for this last cycle....but...feeling the pms symptoms so not too hopeful.

My story..I am 41 got married a little later in life and my husband had stage 4 testicular cancer in 1990 and is now sterile.

Our doctor mentioned this last try that we should move on to something more agressive due my age. The IUIs he gave us 15% success rate. IVF with my eggs he also gave us about a 15% and at 12-15,000 it doesn't seem feasible. Donor eggs and sperm he mentioned a 75% success rate but at $25,000 it is a little scary....especially when I'm an educator, and let's face it, we don't make tons of money! LOL! The other option was adopting an embryo. Dr. mentioned using frozen embryos he had there in the clinic for $10,000 and 60% success rate. I had not heard of this before til he mentioned it, but it seems more reasonable money and success rate. Does anyone know of anyone who done this with success? How many frozen embryos did they have transferred?

I wish  there were more people willing to help others! mhv,  you are so fortunate to have found someone to help your dream come true!! and you know what? I would be so more than willing to help you or anyone else start something to help other women! Let me know if you have any ideas!

Please keep the posts coming everyone and know I send everyone prayers on their journies!

[waitingmama688]

Hey -- we also are in Ontario.  There are agencies that do embryo adoption in Ontario.  One is Beginnings, a Christian agency out of Hamilton.  This is new in Ontario and you are right, Canada is a little behind the 8 ball!  It is done in Ontario but there is some law about advertising.  Our fertility clinic in Grand Rapids, MI offers embryo adoption also.  It might be worth your time (and money) to go to the States to explore the options.  Be sure that the reason you can't carry the embryos isn't related to your own health/body.  Please let me know if you'd like the name of my clinic.  

April

[bella73]

Thanks ladies for the info. I never even thought of the possibility that someone from this site would even think of donating. I am so happy to hear that there are people like this in the world.

Canada is so far behind in this. Anything that I have read online is in the states. My Re works in both Canada and U.S.. I think that my best shot would be to go his clinic in the states to do a embryo transfer with a donated or adopted embryo. I will see him on tuesday.

At this point I am just relieved that DH is even considering this. We have done 6 iui's 2 fresh IVF's and 2 frozen. We are both financially and emotionally exhausted. We can't afford to go with a surrogate or we would. None of the treatments are covered by our health care and our work benefits don't cover it. Unless we win the freaking lottery ! I am so tired right now. I have barely cried over the past few days because I feel that I have nothing left in me. I am really angry though!

Thanks for your advise ladies. Any further info would be welcomed. PM me or Leave me a note.

Nic

[mhv]

Thanks for sharing that info! : )   I just think it's so sad when places try to charge so much for their fees in adopting embryos, that it makes it so unafforadable.  Maybe you and I could start a non for profit organization or something connecting people... haha (not that you don't have your hands full or anything).  Anyway, I hope the person on this site that donated to me Does inspire others to do so.  Believe me, I didn't approach her.... she found me. : )   I know how hard would have to be to give up embryos ( the person who donated to me and I are struggling to decided what to do with the extras we may have when dh and I are done too) Heck, I am attached to them already, and I haven't even adopted them yet! haha!

[Ready_2_be]

Bella73 there is a site that I am familar with that is for embryo adoption I get emails from the site and I believe the cost is $4000. plus the transfer & I believe the transfer is normally $1000.
The website is call Embyos Alive. I watched a news segmant about the lady who runs the site, she matches families with extra embryos with people looking to adopt embryos at a reasonable price.
I think if you continue to put this question or propose that you are interested in adopting embryos on this site that you could end up with embryos. Of course if you were able to find somone to donate embryos to you the cost would probably just be fertility drugs and the transfer.
I myself have two extra embryos and their fate weighs heavy on my shoulders. I would think that many woman on this site that have had successful transfers also feel a strong sence of protectiveness for the future of their extra embryos and would want them raised with tons of love.
I agree with m friend mhv , that I wish there were site available for women who wanted to donate embryos to good families.

[mhv]

I don't know if you know my story, but I am actually doing donor embryos.  A person on this site offered her remaining embryos to my dh and I, and we are gratefully accepting.  (I have written  journal about it if your interested) When I first started talking to lawyers to do the paperwork they were talking thousands and thousands of dollars (over 15,000), and having to have a lawyer at the hospital to do the paperwork to change the birth certificate, blah blah blah... then, I finally got through to 1 that it was a donation.  Not an adoption.  It is costing us less then $500 to do the paperwork.   I wish there was more sites available for ladies who would like to donate their embryos to a grateful couple.  

[Heather5]

Good point, you guys. I was thinking about donor embryos. Sounds like adopting embryos is quite a bit more expensive!

[mhv]

I agree with Trusting77... donor embryos are much less expensive then embryo adoption.  There is a place called snowflake embryo adoption you could check out, but it runs about 28,000 I believe.  
You could start calling clinics and seeing if they have a donor program.  I know there is a place in North Carolina that does them, NCCRM, and I know they donate to couples that don't have kids first, and they just charge the cost of the transfer/pre transfer testing.  

[Trusting77]

I just looked into this myself.  It seems embryo "adoption" is a bit more expensive than if you use embryos that were "donated" to your fertility clinic.  My clinic told me it would cost about $5,000 (not including meds to prep you for transfer).  That is really feasible to me.  Check out http://www.nightlight.org/adoption-services/snowflakes-embryo/default.aspx  There is a Q&A that sounds helpful.  With adoption, you must go through home study process and be selected it seems.  Using those from your clinic bypasses that I believe.  good luck.

[Heather5]

This post is from 2008, so the costs may have changed since then...but I think Mysty2001 was the person I was thinking about...

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Fertility/Options-for-Donor-Eggs-or-Embroyo/show/540768

[Heather5]

Good question. I'm not sure where you would go to get more info on available donor embryos. But donor embryos would probably be MUCH less expensive than doing donor eggs/donor sperm! I guess you could start by contacting your local fertility clinic and ask them if they know. Since donor embryos are extra embryos that are no longer needed (maybe the couple already has two or three children from these embryos...and the remaining frozen embies would have been discarded if not donated), I would think the fertility clinics would your best bet.

(I do remember someone on here talking abut donor embryos at some point, though. I'll see if I can find it.)