Embryo Donation

Embryo donation is one of the options available to people who have undergone in vitro fertilization and have remaining fresh or frozen embryos they no longer intend to use themselves. It is defined as the giving, generally without compensation, of those remaining embryos to recipients, either for procreative implantation or for research. Most people with such supernumerary embryos make their embryo donation decision after they have completed their own families or have otherwise stopped using in vitro fertilization. Recipients who receive embryos for procreative implantation typically plan to transfer the fresh or frozen embryos into a prepared uterus in order to achieve pregnancy and childbirth, while recipients who receive embryos for research typically use them for clinical training, quality improvement research, or human embryonic stem cell research.