Embryo Adoption Success Story!
Embryo donors Yohannah and Colin are grateful to have found their match so quickly on NRFA
“I’m really glad we found wonderful people who want our embryos and will love them so much. It has worked out so much better than I ever thought it would.”
What led you to embryo donation?
We had IVF and ICCI in order to be able to have children, we had seven embryos. We now have three wonderful kids, a boy and twin girls and we had three embryos left. We felt like our family was complete but we wanted to give them a chance at life. So, we began trying to figure out how we were going to donate them.
How long had your family been looking to donate embryos prior to registering on NRFA.org?
We had only asked doctors and friends what our options were, and someone recommended NRFA to us. We had only been trying to find a family for a few months at this point.
How long was it before you communicated with a recipient on NRFA.org?
We started communicating with couples right away! I was surprised at how easy it was. We had a few people that turned us down, and a few that didn’t feel right to us. Then we found our recipients, and we hit it off right away!
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your recipient’s family?
I think we are very similar to each other. We both like a lot of the same things and we get along very well. I loved that we both wanted a somewhat open relationship so the kids can meet. I also really like that they feel like friends now. When you pick someone to be parents for your embryos it’s a very special connection. I know that they will be wonderful parents because they already have two very special little boys.
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.)
Everything has gone very smoothly and easily so far. The only problem at all is waiting for the lawyers to finish. If it wasn’t for all the legal stuff we’d be done already. We even have a potential transfer for her already set up, it’s very exciting.
What has brought you the most comfort throughout this process?
I’m really glad we found wonderful people who want our embryos and will love them so much. It has worked out so much better than I ever thought it would. I know there are times where I will feel emotional about the babies, but I feel so much better knowing they will be with this family that already loves them so much.
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
It was a surprise that we could find what we were looking for, and find it so quickly. I’m so glad that this site is out there. It felt like a friendly dating site where you can find loving families for your embryos. Everyone we talked to was so nice. It can be a hard decision to know what to do, and it makes it easier to have a vehicle like this in which to do it. We know that we have made the right decision, and we are so happy!
For More Information
This article from The New York Times explains many of the complex issues surrounding embryo adoption.
