How it Works: Donating Your Embryos

Thank you for considering this amazing gift to help an intended parent have a child to love.

Choosing to donate your remaining embryos is one of the most generous decisions a person can make. It's also deeply personal, and you don't have to navigate it alone.

You’ll get to provide criteria, interaction, and disposition preferences,and choose your recipient. We’ll navigate you through the journey to make it EASY as possible, and virtually everything is virtual, so we can do it where and whenever fits into your busy schedule.

You can feel confident, supported, and in control of your choices. Here's what the journey looks like.

Do My Embryos Qualify?

Most embryos qualify for donation. To begin, we generally look for:

• Two or more viable Day 5 or Day 6 embryos (full or expanded vitrified blastocysts).

• A complete family. You're not planning to use your remaining embryos to have more children yourself.

• Emotional readiness. You feel prepared to offer your embryos to another family.

Our clinical team will review your embryos and walk you through what's possible. Just ask.

Notes:

Aneuploid and high level mosaic embryos are not accepted.. High-quality, low-level mosaic embryos may be considered on a case-by-case basis if the intended parents' clinic accepts them.

Day 7 embryos may be included alongside viable Day 5 and Day 6 embryos.

Embryos frozen on Cryotip or Cryoloop devices will not be accepted for matching due to limited clinic acceptance, but Embryo Connections CAN manage the journey for an independent match with these devices.

The Embryo Donation Journey

1. Get Started

Meet your Client Services Manager. You'll begin with a conversation about your hopes, your questions, and your options. This is where we listen: to what you're looking for in a recipient family, the kind of relationship you might want, and any concerns on your mind.

A quick clinical review. Our fertility nurses review your embryos for initial viability, so you have a clear picture from the start.

A psychoeducational counseling session. You'll meet (virtually, for about an hour) with a counselor experienced in embryo donation. This isn't a test. It's space to think through the road ahead: how you might feel down the line, how to talk with your own children, and what this gift means for your family.

2. Prepare to Match

Your donor profile. You'll build a profile that helps a future family get to know you: physical characteristics, education, interests, values, photos, and an open letter.

Fertility journey. We also gather your medical records with your signed release - a simple electronic signature, and we take it from there.

Donor screening. We’ll complete the required FDA human tissue donor screening, so everything is ready for a smooth match. We’re a registered establishment with the FDA to handle the details to make this step as easy as possible.

3. Assisted Mutual Matching

We make it easy for you to be able to choose your recipient family(ies). We match thoughtfully, based on what matters to you and to the intended parents: characteristics, values, interests - whatever is most important to you, and the type of future contact each side hopes for. We'll share your profile with intended parents who fit your criteria and you fit theirs. You'll review the families who are interested in you. When you find a family that feels right, you say “yes.”

For open matches, we’ll facilitate a video “new friend date” to get to know one another. For Semi Open (communication through a portal) and Donor ID Disclosure at 18, we can facilitate questions and answers through your Client Services Manager. There's no rush and no pressure. There is a recipient for every donor, and we'll keep going until the fit feels right.

Final step in the family match is the recipient’s clinic, who also gets to say “yes” to the donation based on a concise yet comprehensive Embryo Suitability & Eligibility Packet we send for approval.

4. Legal Ownership

Once you’ve matched, a reproductive attorney prepares a custom legal agreement. In plain terms, this agreement is where you release parental rights and responsibilities for any children born from your embryos, and the intended parents accept them.

We shepherd you through this agreement, because we know it carries weight. You'll be represented and guided, your questions answered. After both parties sign the agreement and shipping consents are in place, your embryos are safely transported to the intended parents' clinic.

5. Wrap-Up and the Future

As we ship the embryos to your recipient’s clinic, we introduce you to the family directly or through a private portal as agreed with your match family, and reimburse any outstanding costs, such as storage fees incurred during the donation. From there, the intended parents move toward their frozen embryo transfer, and you can move forward knowing your embryos have found the home you chose for them.

…Support All Along the Way

You'll have a dedicated Client Services Manager and access to our fertility nurses and clinical team throughout. We're known for staying close to our donors: answering questions, handling paperwork, and supporting you so the process moves smoothly and you can feel confident in the path you’ve chosen.

Embryo Donation is Free for Donors.

Donating your embryos should never cost you anything. Embryo Connections covers your FDA screening, counseling and legal fees, and reimburses eligible costs such as storage incurred during the donation once it's complete. You’re giving an incredible gift to an intended parent, who is grateful to cover your donation expenses. 

Embryo donors cannot be compensated for embryos or prior IVF expenses.

Ready to Learn More?

We'd love to answer your questions. Schedule a free introductory consultation with an EC Client Services Manager, and we'll walk you through everything. No commitment, just a conversation.

¡Hablamos español! Solicita un gerente de servicios al cliente que hable español en la sección de notas al programar tu reunión introductoria.

Donor FAQ

Does it cost anything to donate my embryos? No. Donation is always free for donors. Embryo Connections covers all costs incurred for the purposes of donation. Eligible storage costs incurred during the donation are reimbursed when the donation is complete.

Do I get to choose who receives my embryos? Yes. Through our assisted mutual matching, you set your criteria and preferred level of contact, review interested intended parents, and choose the family that feels right to you.

How long does the embryo donation process take? For donors, the process typically takes about six to eight months from profile submission to embryo transport, though every journey is different.

Will I have any legal or parental responsibility for children born from my embryos? No. The legal agreement, prepared by a reproductive attorney, specifically outlines that you release all parental rights and responsibilities for any children of the embryos, and the intended parents accept all rights and responsibiliies.

What level of contact will I have with the recipient family? That's your choice, along a spectrum from open relationships to limited contact through a private portal and donor ID disclosure, where the donor-conceived offspring may reach out at age 18. EC does not facilitate fully closed donations.

What are the requirements to donate? Generally, two or more viable Day 5 or Day 6 embryos, a complete family, and emotional readiness to donate. Our clinical team reviews each situation individually.