Embryo donation and adoption
When a couple undergoes In Vitro Fertilization treatment, a number of embryos are generated that sometimes are not all used, which means that some others remain.
These embryos can be donated to embryo banks, where they are stored and frozen for their correct preservation and so that at some point couples or women who do not have the possibility of conceiving pregnancies can use them and thus have children.
The couples undergo an embryo adoption treatment, in which they are transferred to the recipient woman in whom the gestation of the pregnancy will take place.
What is embryo donation?
Embryo donation is a process that consists of carrying out a reproduction technique, which is assisted and is based on the transfer of these to the uterus of the woman who receives them. Being a single embryo per couple or several.
It's a increasingly used reproductive treatment by couples, characterized by being a procedure classified as generous in offering the possibility of life to embryos whose destiny has been paralyzed by biological donors.
It is a recommended technique in the event that the two members of the couple do not have the capacity to be parents with their sperm and eggs. What's more, It is very simple and does not have a high cost unlike other assisted reproduction treatments performed.
Embryo donation is usually carried out by couples who have already undergone In Vitro Fertilization treatments and who no longer wish to have more children, so they officially donate to other couples with problems conceiving.
When a couple decides to give up the embryos, they have different options to make a decision regarding their future, such as preserving them for their own future treatments, destroying them, and donating them for scientific studies or for couples who cannot have children.
What is embryo adoption?
Embryo adoption is a procedure based on the conception of a pregnancy with embryos that have been donated by other couples. When a woman undergoes In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment, more fertilized eggs of those needed for treatment, which are not usually implanted later.
In this way, the law determines that the unused embryos have a destination, being stored and frozen properly. These fertilized eggs have a series of options, such as implantation in the same woman, in case she wants to get pregnant again, donate them for other patients, donate them for research or destroy them.
If the woman decides to donate them for the use of other couples, they will benefit, since they are couples with reproductive problems. Given this case, the specialist doctors in charge look for donors who are anonymous and who have similar physical characteristics to the future recipients.
This is a process carried out in order to collaborate with those couples who cannot conceive and give the possibility of being able to gestate the donated embryos and thus be able to develop as a member of a family.
The eggs that are fertilized come from parents who are in good health, generally under 35 and 40 years of age, and have already successfully performed a IVF treatment and do not wish to conceive more children.
Embryo adoption treatment phases
- Embryo selection phase:
One or two embryos that have been frozen and stored in an embryo bank are previously selected. This phase is based on a careful study of the traits of both the embryos and the parents who receive them, such as the phenotype, Rh and blood group, carried out in order to achieve the correct genetic compatibility.
It is not a process that requires an entry on a waiting list, so it is a very simple and fast process.
- Endometrial preparation phase:
The patient must follow a treatment for the preparation of the endometrium, in order to receive the fertilized eggs.
At the time of menstruation, the woman usually begins with an estrogen treatment, whose doses can be increased, which is done in order to achieve a correct thickness of the endometrium, this will be evaluated through a vaginal ultrasound.
- Embryo thawing:
The thawing phase of the embryos is a procedure that is based on the change in temperature of the embryos, which is -196 °C, to the body temperature of the recipient, which is 37 °C.
As part of the embryo incubation process, they are stored in a group of specific media, so the substances with which they are stored are replaced by aqueous media, thus achieving rehydration of the cells and reactivation of all cells. the biological functions of the fertilized ovum.
- Embryo transfer:
After thawing the embryo, it is transferred on the same day, but a few hours apart, in order to verify that it has been able to survive the entire procedure performed.
According to Spanish law, a transfer of more than three embryos cannot be made for each cycle, the decision of the appropriate number of embryos to be transferred will be made by the team of doctors specialized in the area.
The gynecologist is the one in charge of the process, to carry it out he will use a small catheter to direct the embryos through the cervix and be able to deposit them in it. It is a procedure that lasts a few minutes and the recovery time after the execution of this procedure is minimal.
- Pregnancy test:
In general, the freezing of the embryos is done on the fifth day of embryonic development, for this reason, the pregnancy test It must be done 10 days after the embryo transfer has been carried out.
To whom is the embryo adoption process carried out?
The embryo adoption treatment can be carried out by people who present the following aspects:
- Couples with combined problems: women who do not have the possibility of having their own eggs available by combining with a male factor.
- Couples with immunology problems related to incompatibility.
- Couples who have not been able to get pregnant, after having carried out a series of In Vitro Fertilization cycles.
- Couples who suffer from frequent implantation failures or repeated miscarriages.
- Single women who do not use their eggs and who resort to this technique for simplicity and not a double donation of gametes.
- Couples of women who are not going to use their ovules and decide directly to go to the embryo reception technique.
Difference between donation and adoption of embryos
The difference presented between donation and adoption of embryos from a medical perspective is an equal procedure, establishing a clearly and only legal difference.
This is based on the fact that donation consists of couples who have undergone assisted reproduction treatments, such as In Vitro Fertilization, producing more embryos than necessary and leaving a few left over.
The couple decides to give them as a donation so that other couples who have problems conceiving pregnancies can use them and thus give the ovum that is already fertilized a chance at life.
While adoption is a procedure that consists of the implantation of embryos that do not have a destination and that have become the responsibility of the reproduction clinic and this is the one who donates them to the receiving women or couples. In both cases, the embryos are always stored and frozen in embryo banks, this process is carried out in women who wish to conceive a pregnancy. It is a simple and quick treatment to carry out.
Success of embryo adoption treatment
The success rate of the adoption treatment of embryos that have been donated by other people depends largely on their quality, so the traits of the woman who receives the embryo are not essential, but they influence a smaller proportion.
The process of thawing the fertilized ovules has a very good survival rate, because the verification allows a total recovery of the embryos in a total of 90% of all cases.
However, it is interesting to know that some donated embryos used in this type of treatment may originate from people with fertility problems who have had to resort to reproduction techniques, which means that the probability of conceiving a pregnancy is not as high depending on the problem they had. In any case, the medical team will always take these situations into account.
It should also be noted that the probability of pregnancy may be increased due to the possibility that the eggs that are adopted come from couples who have used donor eggs to carry out their IVF treatment, this is due to the fact that the quality of the embryos will be larger.
It may interest you:
- How to decide between insemination or in vitro fertilization?
- What are the differences between insemination and in vitro fertilization?