How It Works: Intended Parents

Growing Your Family Through Embryo Donation

You've likely traveled a long road to get here, and you're ready to bring a child into your life. Embryo donation can be a fast, affordable, and most importantly, deeply meaningful path to pregnancy and parenthood.

At Embryo Connections, we support you throughout your journey. We welcome intended parents of every race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and marital status, because we believe the opportunity to love and raise a child belongs to everyone. Here's how it works.

Is Embryo Donation Right for My Family?

We have just a few qualifications to begin:

• You're seeking embryos for your own family building.

• You're medically able to carry a pregnancy, or prepared to work with a gestational carrier.

• You're within ASRM age guidelines (up to 52 for an individual, or a combined age of 104 for a couple).

• You complete a criminal background check.

A quick clarification that families appreciate: embryo donation is regulated as human tissue donation and handled under property law, with a legal agreement between the families. Because it isn't traditional adoption, a home study is not required.

The Embryo Reception Journey

Your Journey, Step by Step

1. Get Started

Meet your Client Services Manager. We begin with a conversation about your hopes, your questions, and what you're looking for: the kind of donor and embryos that feel right to you, and the level of contact you'd like.

Meet your EC fertility nurse. You can connect with a clinical expert who can answer your questions, including the practical ones, like "my clinic doesn't accept outside embryos, where should I go?" or "how do I know which embryos are right for me?"

A psychoeducational counseling session. You'll meet (virtually, about an hour) with a counselor experienced in embryo donation, to think through the meaningful parts of this journey: connection, identity, and how you'll share your child's story with them over time.

Your profile. You'll create a profile (interests, values, photos, and an open letter) so donors can get to know you

Onboarding checkpoint. You’ll complete a criminal background check, and you’re ready to match!

2. Assisted Mutual Matching

This sets Embryo Connections apart: matching built around real compatibility, with choice on both sides.

We'll share donor profiles that fit your criteria, and typically, you'll begin seeing matches within a few weeks. When you find embryos and a donor family you're drawn to, you let us know you're interested; the donor then reviews your profile and expresses mutual interest. Before you confirm your family match, an EC fertility nurse reviews the full clinical picture with you (embryo details, medical history, and genetic screening) so you can say yes with confidence. For open matches, you'll also meet the donor family over video so that you can get to know each other, like a new friend date, moderated by one of us.

As the third and final check, we confirm that your reproductive provider approves your donation, making it an official match.

3. Legal Ownership

With your match confirmed, a reproductive attorney prepares a custom legal agreement tailored to your state's laws. This protects everyone and clarifies your rights: it safeguards your family and ensures your parental rights remain secure. After you sign the agreement, your matched embryos are safely transported to the clinic you've chosen.

4. Frozen Embryo Transfer, Pregnancy & Parenthood

Your embryos arrive at your clinic, ready for your frozen embryo transfer (FET), the medical procedure your own fertility team performs. We help introduce you and the donor family (directly or through our private portal, based on the relationship you've chosen), and we're cheering you on as you step into this next chapter.

5. Support All Along the Way

You'll have a dedicated Client Services Manager, fertility nurse, and our whole team by your side throughout. From your first questions to your embryo transport, we handle the moving parts and keep everything coordinated, so you can focus on what matters most: becoming a parent.

What It Costs

Embryo Connections keeps pricing transparent and all-inclusive, from matching through getting your embryos to your clinic. You’ll pay your fertility clinic directly for the FET procedure and medications. We'll walk you through the full picture early, so there are no surprises.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Let's talk about your family. Schedule a free introductory consultation, and we'll answer your questions and help you understand your options at your pace.

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

Intended Parents FAQ

Who can receive donated embryos through Embryo Connections? We welcome intended parents of every race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and marital status. The main qualifications are seeking embryos for your own family, being able to carry a pregnancy or use a gestational carrier, meeting ASRM age guidelines, and completing a background check.

How long does the embryo donation process take? It varies by family. Many intended parents begin seeing potential matches within a few weeks, with the full journey to embryos at your clinic generally taking several months, depending on matching and clinic coordination.

How much does embryo donation cost? Embryo Connections offers transparent, all-inclusive pricing from matching through transport to your clinic. Your medical and clinic fees, such as the frozen embryo transfer, are billed separately by your fertility clinic.

What is a frozen embryo transfer (FET)? It's the medical procedure, performed by your own fertility clinic, in which a donated embryo is transferred to your uterus, the same procedure used in the second half of a standard IVF cycle.

Can I choose my donor? Yes. Through assisted mutual matching, you review donor profiles that fit your criteria and choose the family you're drawn to, and the donor chooses you in return. An EC fertility nurse reviews the clinical details with you before you finalize.

Will my child be able to know their donor family? That depends on the relationship you and the donor family choose together, ranging from open contact to a private portal. The minimum is donor ID disclosure, where your child may reach out to the donor after age 18.