Embryo Donation
Would you like to become an embryo donor?
Contact the contact centre at the CRG: +32 477 66 99 They will also be able to give you information regarding the receipt of donated material. |
A couple's infertility problem may also be due to a combination of physical factors that affect both the man and the woman. If standard IVF treatments (even using ICSI) fail or offer too small a chance of success, the transfer of a donor embryo into the woman's womb may be the solution.
Not genetically related, but definitely your birth child Although neither the sperm nor the eggs used in this type of donation belong to the couple, and some people like to compare it with adoption, there is a fundamental difference between the two concepts.
The embryo is donated by a couple who have had successful infertility treatment themselves. They donate an embryo and not a fully developed child.
In contrast to adoption, the recipient couple go through the entire pregnancy process together in that the woman carries the donor embryo to full term. If everything goes well, she gives birth to a baby after nine months, during which period the 'adopted' embryo becomes her own child.
This is every bit as true from the child's point of view. From the very start of his or her existence, his or her entire life history is intimately interwoven with that of his or her parents, and there is no question of moving from one social, geographical or racial environment to another.
The situation is radically different from a legal viewpoint too. Contrary to an ordinary adoption, the couple do not have to go through any formalities before they can consider the child legally theirs.
The treatment
As discussed above, donor embryos are donated by couples who have had IVF treatment and produced more embryos than they needed for transfer. These remaining (or surplus) embryos are frozen and stored for potential use at a later date by the couple or for donation.
The treatment needed by the recipient woman is described in the
'Medical Practice' section. The woman's natural menstrual cycle is either medically reinforced and monitored or replaced entirely by an artificially-induced cycle. In both situations her body is prepared for the embryo transfer.
The thawed embryos are tested immediately before transfer takes place. Only those embryos who have succesfully withstood the thawing process - without too much damage to their cells - can be transferred with a reasonable chance of successful implantation. Consequently the more frozen embryos are available for donation, the greater the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Once the embryo has been transferred to the womb, the woman's medical and drug follow up is exactly the same as with
standard IVF treatment. The chances of a successful embryo implantation and a full-term pregnancy are practically the same too.