What is embryo adoption?
Embryo adoption refers to the performance of a treatment to achieve pregnancy with embryos that have been left unwanted by their biological parents. When a woman undergoes an Assisted Reproduction treatment, not all the embryos obtained are usually implanted. The law establishes the destination of the leftover embryos, which must be properly frozen and stored.
The options for these stored embryos are: to implant them in the same woman (if she later wants to try to become pregnant again), to destroy them, to donate them for research or to donate them to other patients. If a woman decides to donate her embryos, other couples with reproductive problems may benefit. In such cases, medical specialists usually look for anonymous donors who are physically similar to the prospective recipient parents.
Why is it performed?
The objective is to help, on the one hand, couples with problems conceiving, with long-standing infertility problems, couples who have tried IVF treatment multiple times without success, women without a male partner who wish to have a child, or women with repeated miscarriages.
On the other hand, embryo adoption also gives these embryos the possibility of living and developing as babies in a family.
The embryos come from healthy parents, normally under 35 or 40 years of age, and who have successfully undergone In Vitro Fertilization treatment and do not want to have any more children.
Embryo adoption helps women to become mothers and gives embryos the opportunity to live.
What does it consist of?
After an Assisted Reproduction process, the embryos are frozen in conditions stipulated for their perfect maintenance for a limited period of time. Thus, the process to implant them in another uterus is quick, simple and painless:
For a few days, the uterus is prepared for the reception of the embryos, by means of skin patches and vaginal tablets. After this preparation of a few days, the embryos are thawed and implanted in the uterus. This transfer is performed on an outpatient basis, without the need for hospitalization.
Preparation for embryo adoption
To access this treatment, the mother must go to an Assisted Reproduction specialist who performs this option. In the first visit, a gynecological check-up will be performed to verify the woman’s state of health and the embryos will be assigned. An ultrasound will then be performed and a catheter will be inserted through the cervix through which the embryos will be transferred.
Care after the operation
The process does not require hospitalization, you should simply not exert yourself during the hours following the embryo transfer. After a few days, a pregnancy test will be performed to check if the implantation has been successful, and from this point on, it will go on like any other pregnancy.
Alternatives to this treatment
The adoption of embryos responds to a process of Assisted Reproduction, that is to say, to the need to help women who want to become mothers and for whatever reason cannot conceive a child naturally. As an alternative, there are other Assisted Reproduction treatments for this purpose, such as artificial insemination or In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and it will be the medical specialist who will advise the couple on the best treatment according to their needs and characteristics.
On the other hand, embryo adoption is very similar to embryo donation, the only difference being legal: in embryo donation, the embryos come from couples who expressly cede them, while in embryo adoption, the couple has not chosen their destiny and has left it in the hands of the reproduction center.