Embryo adoption is an assisted reproduction treatment that has increased notably in recent years due to the restrictions that many countries have placed on international adoption and, above all, due to the high cost of other treatments such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
What does embryo adoption consist of?
Embryo adoption is a technique that consists of becoming pregnant by means of frozen embryos that have been left without destination. The embryos come from healthy patients, under 35 years of age, who have undergone In Vitro Fertilization treatments and no longer wish to have children. These embryos remain without destiny because the biological parents do not make any decision as to what to do with them (to implant them in the woman herself, to donate them to other patients, to destroy them or to donate them for research), thus remaining in the custody of the medical center. According to the Assisted Reproduction Law 2006, in these cases it is the medical center who decides what to do with these embryos within the four possibilities mentioned above.
In 2004, the Institut Marquès created the first embryo adoption program in order to use these abandoned embryos. At first, the news caused an avalanche of information all over the world. However, over the years it has become an increasingly socially accepted option.
Who uses this reproductive treatment
Currently, 72% of the people who come to this adoption program are couples, mainly heterosexual, 18% are single women, and the rest are people who, for ethical or religious reasons, rule out other types of reproductive treatments.
This technique does not necessarily have to be the last resort to conceive a pregnancy, although it is true that most of the people who resort to it have previously tried, unsuccessfully, other types of techniques. The treatment can be performed in women up to 50 years of age; above this age, according to the consensus reached by reproduction clinics, pregnancy poses a risk to the health of the mother and child.
When it comes to embryo adoption, race is the only factor taken into account. It may happen that a couple donates embryos to different people. Therefore, it is always guaranteed, by means of a cross assignment system, that the embryos will go to a family in a different country or region from that of the parents. In this way, a possible coincidence between siblings is avoided.
Differences with other treatments
The main difference with other treatments is the economic cost. For example, for the adoption of eggs it is necessary to perform an In Vitro Fertilization cycle, therefore the cost increases. In the case of embryo adoption, the cost of the treatment is approximately 3,000 euros.