Embryo Adoption Matched on NRFA – Raegen & Bryan

Raegen & Bryan found their embryo donors on NRFA.org in less than one week after joining the website, and are doing their first frozen embryo transfer (FET) today! Please join the entire team at the National Registry for Adoption in sending prayers and well-wishes to the Autry Family!

What led you to embryo adoption?
Raegen has a severely low ovarian reserve and is unable to conceive, however Raegen and Bryan wanted to experience the miracle of pregnancy, childbirth and the bond it affords parents to have with their children whether biological or adopted.

How long had your family been looking for embryos or seeking an adoption prior to registering on NRFA.org?

Bryan and Raegen had been considering traditional adoption for 2 years. They had explored several agencies but still longed to carry a child despite their infertility. Once they learned about embryo adoption and embryo donation (after seeing a blog written by Duffy and Charis Johnson on Pinterest), they contacted they Johnsons and registered on NRFA immediately (within a week).

How long was it before you were contacted by a donor on NRFA.org?

We were contacted 2 days after our profile went “live”.

What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your donor’s family?

We have a lot of the same interests. Family is a huge part of both of our lives. Music is also important to our families. The brother of the embryos loves music and loves to sing. Raegen sings in her spare time and was in a lot of choirs in school. Donor mother and Bryan’s mom both love and collect antiques. Both families have the same beliefs about embryos…they are a life waiting to be born and should not be destroyed. Our families are also both from and raised in the South!

Describe how the process of matching, legal contract, and medically planning has gone. (Easier than you expected, less/more work than expected, easy/stressful, etc.) 

The process has been easier than expected. Everyone from our lawyer to fertility clinic have been very helpful and easy to deal with. Our donor family has been amazing too. They’ve had to fill out paper work, get documents notarized, go to a medical facility to get blood drawn…etc. They’ve had to take time out of their schedule and have been nothing more than willing to do whatever.

When do you plan to do (or when did you do) a transfer? 

The second week of January (fingers crossed), January 13th!

What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?

The whole idea of embryo adoption, embryo donation, and the fact it is even an option!!  We are also surprised at how technically new this process is and how many people there are who do not know about this process. We hope we can be a beacon of hope for families in our situation. Even though we are not guaranteed this will work for us, we are blessed to have the chance.