LEARN INSURANCE

Donor Embryos: Biologically , embryo adoption is exactly the same as a traditional adoption , in that the child and the parents have no genetic linkage. However , here the resemblance ends. Whereas with traditional adoption it is a child who is adopted after birth, in embryo adoption the infertile couple adopts an embryo before pregnancy.

However , the sad tragedy is that there are just not enough babies available for adoption. Not only is the demand for adopting babies increasing day by day as infertility becomes more prevalent , the supply of unwanted babies being put up for adoption by the mother has become drastically reduced.

It is ironic that while the technology of contraception and abortion has reduced the availability of adoptable children, assisted reproductive technology now offers a new option to infertile couples. This is the option of embryo adoption.

There are many advantages to embryo adoption. There is no waiting list; and the infertile woman gets to experience the pleasure of pregnancy and birth. This obviously enhances bonding between the infertile couple and the child. Another major advantage is that there is no social stigmata involved ; and the couple does not need to get permission from family members or disapproving in-laws. Also , since these embryos are usually of high quality, the success rates are better than 50% per cycle. The only disadvantage is that the treatment can be quite expensive.

One of the major problems with surrogacy today is that it is overused and misused.

This is especially true when surrogacy is advised for patients who have failed multiple IVF cycles
or had multiple miscarriages. These patients are very depressed and have very low self esteem. They often end up believing that it's their uterus which is defective; and they therefore believe that surrogacy would be their best treatment option. They often approach IVF clinics asking for surrogacy treatment - and many doctors are happy to oblige, because this is a very profitable treatment option !

In reality, surrogacy is an expensive and complex treatment option, which is best reserved for
women without a uterus. Research shows that the reason for failed implantation is much more likely to be genetically abnormal embryos ( because of poor quality eggs), rather than a uterine problem.

For these patients, embryo adoption is a much better option. It is much less expensive; and has a higher success rate, since it's allowing us to bypass the basic problem. It's also much more socially acceptable, since it's the parent's name on the birth certificate, so that no one else needs to know that the child was born as a result of embryo adoption. Even better, it allows for much better bonding, as the mother can experience the pregnancy herself !

Unfortunately, most IVF doctors do not bother to explain alternative options to their patients , because they can charge much for surrogacy. This is actually a misuse of surrogacy treatment which preys on the infertile couple's ignorance and desperation !

We get lots of requests for surrogacy treatment . India is now acknowledged to be a global leader in IVF technology; and because surrogates are easily available and IVF treatment is much less expensive than in other parts of the world, many couples travel to India for surrogacy treatment.

While this is good news, because they can get cost effective treatment, the downside is that surrogacy gets very overused. Because it is very profitable, many doctors offer it to patients who do not need it - and even worse, those who will not benefit from it !

Typically, women who ask for surrogacy are older women, or women who have failed many IVF cycles. They are desperate and emotionally vulnerable and feel that the best solution to their problem of repeated failed embryo implantation is to use a surrogate. They have low self-esteem, and believe that fact that their embryos do not implant means that their uterus is defective. This is why they feel that using a surrogate is a logical answer which will help them to solve this problem ! They have very unrealistic expectations of surrogacy success rates - and a flawed understanding of reproductive biology

The commonest reason for failed embryo implantation is NOT a defective uterus, but rather genetically abnormal embryos. This is Nature's defense mechanism, to prevent the birth of an abnormal baby. While these defects are often random, they are commoner in older women. This is because the eggs of older women have more genetically abnormalities, because they have "aged" and have genetic defects, which cannot be screened for.

This is why if there is a problem with embryo implantation, changing the embryos is a better option than changing the uterus, which is why embryo adoption is often a much better option than surrogacy for these patients.

The reason is simple ! 9 times out of 10, the problem in patients with repeated failed IVF cycles is not with the uterus but with the eggs !

I think this fact needs to be emphasised. As women get older, they know their fertility declines. Most assume that this is because their reproductive system is aging - and for most women their reproductive system consists of their uterus. If menopause = no periods = nonfunctioning uterus, it is quite logical to conclude that increased age = reduce fertility = poorly functioning uterus. Seen from this perspective, changing the uterus to improve fertility by doing surrogacy treatment is very logical !

However, this logic is flawed. Hundreds of medical studies have proven that as a woman gets older and enters the menopause , even though her uterus stops functioning, this is only because of the absence of ovarian hormonal stimulation. If the uterus is exposed to estrogen and progesterone, it starts working one again - even if she is 72 years old !

I feel an effective solution to prevent the misuse of surrogacy is that this treatment option should be endorsed by two independent IVF specialists, before a patient is signed up for an IVF program. This should help to prevent the overuse and misuse of surrogacy treatment !

Image via Wikipedia

Many infertile couples are happy to explore the option of adoption in order to build their family when IVF treatment fails.

They naively believe that after going through the ordeal of many failed IVF cycles, adopting a baby will be a piece of cake. However, many find to their dismay that there just aren't that many babies available for adoption anymore !

In one sense, this is hardly surprising ! With improving levels of education and the empowerment of women, unmarried girls use contraception and terminate unwanted pregnancies. Very few women will now carry an unwanted pregnancy all the way to term.

However, while the number of abandoned babies is gradually shrinking, the number of infertile couples is progressively rising. There are now long waiting lists - and many adoption agencies just do not have any babies available for adoption ! The ones they do have are often much older; or have a disability, which means many infertile couples are not happy about adoption them, because most would prefer a healthy newborn.

The good news is that there is now a newer option available, to help many couples satisfy their desire for a baby, if they are willing to consider adoption. This is the option of embryo adoption. Unfortunately, this is a choice which not many infertile couples are aware of. Sadly, even social workers in adoption agencies and gynecologists are not familiar with this new advance.

What does embryo adoption involve ? Rather than adopt a baby, couples adopt embryos ! The option has many advantages.

• There are no waiting lists
• The success rates are high
• Couples get to experience pregnancy and birth
• There is no social stigma, since the name on the baby's birth certificate is the infertile couple's
• There is no need for the couple to get permission for this decision from family members

Where do these embryos come from ?

These are supernumerary embryos which young infertile couples going through IVF freeze and store for themselves. If they get pregnant in their fresh IVF cycle, many are happy to donate their embryos to other infertile couples, to help them build their family. Embryo adoption is usually anonymous and confidential.

You can read more about our embryo adoption program here.