There is a new way to adopt a baby that has been introduced by many adoption agencies nowadays. The only difference with this process from the normal child adoption is that it involves embryos. The frozen embryos donated by certain couples are involved in the embryo adoption process. If there are couples who don’t wish to add more members to their family, this is the best option to consider.
Alternatively, it allows an adoptive mother the chance to conceive and give birth not of her own but from the adoptive parents’ embryo. Thus, each embryo will undergo full genetic workup before being handed over to its adoptive parents. It will also include the genetic information of the donor’s egg or sperm if required.
This is a perfect option for those who are having difficulties conceiving with their own baby. However, there are concerns regarding its impact to the health of the adoptive mother and the embryo itself. Thus, here are some pros and cons when considering embryo adoption.
List of Pros of Embryo Adoption
1. Great Bonding Option.
Those who are unable to get pregnant through their own effort will have a chance to do so with this method. So other than keeping the embryos in storage or get destroyed, embryo adoption will give homes to them. As a result, it enables the adoptive mother to bond with the unborn baby while inside her womb.
2. More Straightforward than Traditional Adoption.
It is relatively easier to perform embryo adoption legally than the traditional method. This is because it takes lesser time than finding an egg donor and sperm donor separately. In other words, this is simply the same principle as transferring property in accordance with the law. Some fertility clinics even have their own programs that will match embryos with women at a low cost, already with embryos from biological parents.
3. Embryos Are Readily Available.
Most of the agencies handling donated embryos already have the embryos from the parents who have donated them. They are just on the queue waiting for the matched parents looking to adopt an embryo. It only takes a lot of time for adoptive parents to comply with the requirements.
List of Cons of Embryo Adoption
1. Anonymous Embryo Adoption.
Some adoptive parents dislike the idea of getting matched with an anonymous donor. This is because they can only know very little information about the embryo which they think is unfair. When finding an alternate agency for adoption, it is sometimes seen to be extremely costly for adoptive parents to consider.
2. Very Long Recipient List.
There are clinics that have very lengthy recipient lists and tend to give the embryos only to existing patients. As they are matched with couples all across the U.S., it will require potential adoptive couples to work in accordance with their qualifications and guidelines.
3. Critical Survival Rate of Embryos.
Frozen embryos can survive until a suitable adoptive parent shows up. However, this process is not always successful giving viable pregnancy of about 31% only. In other words, the freezing and thawing process will affect the overall rate of the adoptive parent to get pregnant.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
