Embryo Donation
Donate Embryos: Give Another Family the Opportunity to Grow
Deciding what to do with remaining embryos after IVF can be deeply personal. If you have completed your family-building journey or no longer plan to use your frozen embryos, donating unused embryos or donating frozen embryos may be one option to consider.
BabyTree offers a respectful, confidential starting point. We help you understand the process, explore your preferences, and coordinate with the fertility clinics, counselors, and independent attorneys involved. An inquiry does not obligate you to donate. Our embryo donor program provides a structured way to learn how donation works and determine whether it is right for your circumstances.
Start the Embryo Donor Questionnaire
Is Embryo Donation Right for Your Family?
Embryos can represent years of hope, treatment, uncertainty, and emotional investment. Even when a family feels complete, deciding what should happen to remaining embryos may take time.
Some people consider donating their embryos because they want to give another person or family an opportunity to experience pregnancy and parenthood. Others begin the conversation because they are uncertain about indefinite storage or want to understand every available option before making a decision.
There is no universal right choice. BabyTree provides information without pressure and encourages you to consult your fertility clinic, counselor, and independent attorney before completing a donation.
Options for Unused or Leftover Embryos
Depending on your clinic, storage agreement, location, and circumstances, options may include:
- Continuing to store the embryos
- Using them in future fertility treatment
- Donating them to another individual or family
- Donating them to research where an eligible program is available
- Directing disposition according to clinic policy and applicable law
Embryo donation is only one possible path. Before proceeding, everyone with legal disposition rights should agree that they no longer plan to use the embryos themselves.
What Does Donating Embryos Mean?
Embryo donation allows another intended parent or family to receive the legal right to use donated embryos in an attempt to achieve pregnancy. The recipient may carry the pregnancy or work with a gestational carrier.
Donating embryos is not the same as donating eggs. The embryos have already been created and contain genetic material from the egg and sperm providers. This creates important questions about consent, family medical history, disclosure, genetic siblings, future contact, and the rights of everyone involved.
Before donated embryos can be released for transfer of the embryos, the parties typically need to complete the clinic reviews, counseling, consent documents, and independent legal agreements required for their arrangement.
How to Donate Embryos: The Embryo Donation Process
Submit a Confidential Inquiry
Tell us where your embryos are stored, approximately how many remain, and what you currently know about them. You do not need to upload medical records during the initial questionnaire.
Speak With a BabyTree Coordinator
Your coordinator explains the process, listens to your questions, and helps determine what information is needed. You may decide not to continue.
Confirm Consent and Preliminary Program Fit
Everyone with legal disposition rights generally needs to agree to explore donation. Your coordinator will also identify the clinic records and embryo information required for review.
Gather Medical and Embryology Records
The relevant professionals may review the embryo creation and freezing records, source of the eggs and sperm, family medical history, genetic testing information, infectious-disease documentation, and storage details.
Discuss Embryo Donation Matching and Future Contact
You can consider the type of recipient family and relationship that feel appropriate to you. Expectations for information sharing, updates, communication, and contact should be discussed honestly.
Complete Counseling and Legal Agreements
Counseling provides space to consider the emotional and family implications of donation. Independent legal counsel addresses consent, transfer of disposition rights, permitted use, future contact, and other terms.
Coordinate Transfer and Transportation
After the required approvals and agreements are complete, the storage facility and receiving fertility clinic coordinate the transfer of the embryos.
What Information May Be Reviewed?
Every group of embryos is different. Review may include:
- Where the embryos were created and stored
- Number of embryos remaining
- Date of creation and age of the egg provider at retrieval
- Whether the embryos were created using your own or donated eggs or sperm
- Embryo stage, grade, and freezing method
- PGT results, if testing was performed
- IVF laboratory and storage records
- Personal and family medical history
- Infectious-disease screening records
- Consent from all people with disposition rights
Having untested embryos or embryos created with donated gametes does not automatically determine whether donation is possible. Additional permissions, records, or clinic review may be required. The receiving fertility clinic makes the final medical decision about accepting embryos for treatment.
Choosing the Relationship That Feels Right
Known or Directed Embryo Donation
You already know the recipient or choose to communicate directly as part of the arrangement.
Open Embryo Donation
You and the recipient exchange identifying information and agree on a form of ongoing contact or updates.
Semi-Open Embryo Donation
The families exchange selected information or updates through agreed channels while limiting direct contact.
Anonymous Embryo Donation
Identifying information is not routinely exchanged through the program. However, permanent anonymity cannot be guaranteed because consumer DNA testing, social media, and public records may reveal genetic relationships.
Your preferences should account for the interests of the donor family, recipient family, existing children, and any child born from the donation. Relationship expectations should be documented in the legal agreements.
Medical, Legal, and Counseling Support
Embryo donation requires coordination among several independent professionals.
A fertility clinic evaluates records and determines whether the embryos can be accepted for treatment. Attorneys address consent, transfer of rights, future use, and other legal terms. A mental health professional experienced in third-party reproduction can help families explore disclosure, genetic connections, future communication, and the emotional effects of the decision.
BabyTree coordinates the journey but does not replace medical, legal, or mental health professionals.
Storage, Testing, and Transportation Costs
Costs and responsibilities vary according to the program, clinic, storage facility, embryo location, records, testing, and legal requirements. Before signing an agreement, you should receive clear information about:
- Storage fees before legal transfer
- Medical-record retrieval
- Any required testing
- Counseling
- Independent legal representation
- Embryo transportation
- The point at which responsibility for the embryos changes
Do not stop paying required storage fees or authorize transportation until the appropriate agreements and instructions are complete.
Emotional and Family Considerations
Before donating, consider how you and your family may feel about:
- A genetically related child being raised by another family
- Telling your existing children about the donation
- Sharing medical information in the future
- Contact with the recipient family
- Relationships between genetic siblings
- Receiving pregnancy or birth updates
- The possibility that no child will be born from the embryos
- The possibility of being identified through DNA testing
It is reasonable to need time. Donation should be based on informed, voluntary agreement—not urgency, storage costs alone, or outside pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the disadvantages of embryo donation?
Donation can involve lasting emotional and family considerations. Before donating, consider the possibility of a genetically related child being raised by another family, disclosure to existing children, future medical-information sharing, contact with the recipient family and genetic siblings, and possible identification through DNA testing. Donation may also result in no child being born from the embryos. Counseling and independent legal guidance can help you consider these issues before deciding.
How do I know whether I meet embryo donation requirements?
Program fit depends on available records, consent, embryo history, testing documentation, clinic requirements, and other circumstances. Begin with the questionnaire, and the relevant professionals can identify what must be reviewed.
Can I donate only one embryo?
Policies vary. The number of embryos, clinic requirements, shipping considerations, and recipient treatment plan may affect whether a donation can proceed.
Can embryos created with donor eggs or donor sperm be donated?
Possibly, but the original donor agreements, consent terms, records, and clinic policies must be reviewed. Do not assume the embryos can be donated without this review.
Do both partners need to agree?
Everyone holding legal disposition rights generally needs to provide informed consent. An attorney can advise you based on the agreements and law applicable to your circumstances.
Can I choose the recipient family?
Matching options depend on the program. You may be able to express preferences and choose an open, semi-open, known, or non-identifying arrangement.
Will I receive compensation for donating embryos?
Embryo donation is not a compensated donor service. Cost responsibilities for testing, records, storage, legal work, counseling, and transportation vary and should be disclosed before you proceed.
Explore Embryo Donation With BabyTree
If you are considering donating frozen embryos after IVF, begin with a confidential questionnaire. Submitting an inquiry does not obligate you to proceed.
Start the Embryo Donor Questionnaire