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Where to Start for Information on Embryo Donation/Adoption:
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General Information and Educational Resources:
- Webinars covering every conceivable (pardon the pun) topic relevant to embryo donation are archived at the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center's webinar page. All upcoming webinars are available to audit without charge.
- What's in a Name? The Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has stated that the correct term for donating unused embryos to another couple for family building is "embryo donation" rather than "embryo adoption". We respect this position in our material, but since many people looking for information on this option continue to call the process "embryo adoption" and use this as their search term, we have included the word adoption in the title after the word "donation". We know this is a compromise that will displease some, but our first mission is to provide information and providing information requires that people be able to find the information. However, when talking about this option we encourage you to use the "correct" language--embryo donation. For a good summary of the issues of why some people strongly believe it should be called embryo donation, not embryo adoption, check out this article Why Embryo Donation and Not Embryo Adoption?
- The National Embryo Donation Center
- An abstract of the research by Dr. Anne D. Lyerly on preferences of couples that had frozen embryos left over after they finished infertility treatment. I interviewed Dr. Lyerly about this research on the May 28, 2008 Creating a Family show.
- Resolve received a US government grant to promote embryo donation, and they have produced some good material.
- How are embryos graded and what does this mean to those considering embryo donation. A very good series by Embryo Donation International. Not too dry and provides great information that will help you understand what you're hearing when choosing embryos.
- Third Party Reproduction: A Guide for Patients published by the ASRM in 2006 includes information on embryo donation.
- Miracles Waiting, Inc. has a good FAQ page.
- Shared Journey has a short explanation of embryo donation.
- The Embryo Adoption Awareness Center, a division of Nightlight, Inc. provides education and resources regarding all aspects of building your family through donated embryos and for families considering donating their unused embryos to another couple for family building. Funded by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Awareness Center works with donors, adopters, fertility clinics, adoption agencies, counselors and OB/Gyns throughout the US.
- Cryopreserved Embryo Donation Awareness Education is a free online educational curriculum developed by Bethany Christian Services. There are four separate curriculum aimed at four different groups: Medical Professionals, Potential Embryo Donors, Potential Embryo Adoptive Parents, the Media, and General Public. Training includes live workshops, e-chats, e-learning, stories, forums, etc.
- Conceiving Concepts has a short explanation of the differences between going through an infertility clinic, an adoption agency, or a private arrangement.
- Embryo Adoption I-II is a CD promoted and sold by Focus on the Family. I have not actually listened to this CD, so I can't say how much useful information is provided.
- About Embryo Donation is a blog post that includes a good explanation on embryo donation by a family that chose that option.
- CEDA Education: Education/online chats with placers, adopters, social workers, lawyers, doctors, etc
- Lancaster embryo adoption story: A short video highlighting the Lancaster embryo adoption story.
- Donor Sibling Registry helps children conceived as a result of sperm, egg, or embryo donation to find and connect with half-siblings.
- Nighlight Christian Adoption offers a number of great webinars on their website that provide a wide array of information on embryo donation/adoption.
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Embryo Donation/Adoption Books and Videos:
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Before You Were Born...Our Wish For A Baby (The Story of Embryo Donation) - by Janice Grimes
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Embryo Donation and Embryo Adoption: Loving Choices for Christians - by John D. Van Regenmorter, Slyvia A. Van Regenmorter
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Hope & Will Have a Baby: The Gift of Embryo Donation - by Iréné Celcer
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A Blessing from Above (Little Golden Book) by Patti Henderson (Author), Elizabeth Edge (Illustrator)
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A True Story of Embryo Donation & Adoption - A compelling story of two families brought together by their common desire to become parents.
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Hope Restored by Embryo Adoption - Mike and Stephanie's dreams of starting a family seemed dim after a diagnosis of male infertility factor. But the couple found new hope when they discovered the unique adoption alternative of Embryo Adoption.
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Embryo Adoption: The Chosen Option - After receiving the diagnosis of Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), most of the options Brian and Debbie explored - from egg donation to international adoption- didn't seem like the right fit for their family. The couple was amazed by the personal control, education and safeguards available using Embryo Donation and Adoption.
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An Answer to Exhaustive Infertility Search - J.V. and Cathy had visited every fertility specialist in the area, hoping to find a solution to their heartbreak from multiple miscarriages. As it turned out, the answer came in the form of Embryo Donation and Adoption, which enabled the couple to give birth to twin boys!
- Jimmy and Christine Moore attempting to have a baby with an embryo adoption in 2011. This is a link to a couples embryo donation/adoption journey chronicled via a series of You Tube videos.
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Articles on Embryo Donation/Adoption:
We have tried to avoid articles that are strictly promoting a certain political or philosophical agenda. Nonetheless, some of these articles take a strong position on the morality of creating and destroying embryos for any reason, so keep this in mind if you are easily offended.
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Using a Donor, You Need an Attorney by Amy Demma, Esq for The Fertility Advocate.
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Focus on Family radio show A Snowflake Comes to Life is a 30 minute show with a religious perspective. It follows a family through the process and interviews their daughter as a young teen.
- Siblings of Sorts in Good Housekeeping about 3 sets of twins born to three sets of parents created from the same group of embryos. The article describes a very open relationship between all three couples. 2009
- Motherhood 2.0: Twins from donated embryos A well researched article featuring a single 45 year old woman that is pregnant with twins from donated embryos.
- A thorough article in The Tennessean "In TN and elsewhere, leftover embryos lie in frozen limbo" April 4, 2009. This article discusses embryo donation from both the perspective of couples with embryos to donate and couples who are seeking to create their family through donated embryos.
- "Embryo Adoption: A Step-By-Step Guide" a short article hitting the high points on how to begin the process
- Embryo Dilemma: She can donate; who will adopt? (Oct. 2008)
- Time magazine ran an article in Nov. 2007 titled Should Fertilized Eggs Have Rights? It does a decent job of summarizing some of the philosophical issues at stake.
- "Embryo Adoption: Saving lives and building families" a 2006 article in Christian Examiner online
- Out of the Freezer, Into the Family: The booming, and bizarre, business of embryo adoption by Liza Mundy (May 2005 in Slate magazine)
- Choosing Embryo Adoption is a 2001 article by Susan Lewis Cooper and Ellen Sarasohn Glazer. I don't agree with much of what is written, but include it to provide food for thought.
- Twins adopted as embryos. Personal story of embryo donation published in 2007.
- Embryo Adoption: Unique process was answer to three years of infertility for Houston, Texas couple
- Frozen Dreams- a 2003 article on embryo donation in the UK.
- Embryo adoption solves dilemma for Canadian couple (2002)
- The Fate of Frozen Embryos: A short article on what to do with the extra eggs after in vitro fertilization. Read about other families going through the same tough decisions.
- NIH rejects use of dozens of stem cell colonies by federally funded researchers. This article on stem cell research may be of interest to those couples with unused embryos that they want to donate to research.
- Infertility and Embryo Donation - An article educating infertile couples about embryo donation by Connie Shapiro, a clinical social worker and a professor of family studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
- ASRM: defining embryo donation (2009). Though provoking article on the application of the term "adoption" to embryos.
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Costs Associated with Embryo Donation/Adoption:
- Expenses associated with Embryo Adoption range from $6,000 - $17,000 (costs vary by agency, state, and clinic). The total expenses should average about one-third the cost of a standard in vitro fertilization cycle.
- The Embryo Adoption Awareness Center has a great FAQ section on Embryo Donation/Adoption, including associated expenses for adopting parents and expenses and legal requirements for donating parents.
- You may be eligible to take an itemized deduction for personal medical care expenses related to obtaining an embryo paid during the taxable year. Click here for sample information offered by the National Embryo Donation Center.
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Embryo Donation/Adoption Support Groups:
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Great Embryo Donation/Adoption Blogs:
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Creating a Family Sponsors With Embryo Donation/Adoption Programs
Creating a Family is a nonprofit, and as such, we are dependent on the support of our audience and the professional community for support. The following agencies/clinics have chosen to support us and their support allows us to bring you all our resources and radio show/podcast. We truly couldn't do it without them.
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