Embryo Match Success – Donors, Yohannah and Collin
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!
Embryo Match Success – Donor, Sheena & Phil
For two years, Sheena & Phil wanted to be embryo donors and searched for the perfect family to adopt their remaining embryos with no luck. After a month on NRFA.org, they were matched and at peace with the closure they had found. Sheena shares, “I had been stressing about these embryos since their creation. First, worrying about what was to come of them, and then the past two years focusing strongly on finding them a match. Finally, this chapter is closing and another soon beginning. I love our embryo recipient family and am so excited to see what will come.”
What led you to embryo donation?
After struggling with infertility for 5 years with 3 failed IUI’s we finally moved onto IVF. Of our 32 eggs retrieved, 7 made it to day 3. We put in 1 perfect 8 cell embryo and got pregnant with my son. Even though we were told we would never conceive naturally, I got pregnant with my daughter when my son was 9 months old… naturally! My pregnancy with my son was very difficult, and his delivery was beyond traumatic, awful and scary. We both almost died and honestly had I not gotten pregnant with my daughter naturally, I don’t think I would have ever had another baby. Her pregnancy wasn’t as bad, but the same complications arose in her delivery and after she was born my husband and I decided our family was complete. I needed to be here to take care of these 2 babies so risking my health again didn’t make sense. We had 6 frozen embryos and for me, destroying them or donating them to science wasn’t an option. Embryo donation was the only choice. I view them as life and they deserve a chance to be born. Since I can no longer give them that chance, I felt my new job as their genetic mother was to find the person who could. I prayed nightly for God to lead me to the right person, and to give me peace when it happened. God has answered my prayers in every way shape and form!
How long had your family been looking to donate embryos prior to registering on NRFA.org?
Two years. We originally started with an agency. We were sent a family book and it just didn’t feel right. I felt like the book was a lie. I didn’t like that I couldn’t ask them questions, and that all communication was done through the agency, so I decided to try and find my own match. I posted in a fertility forum saying I was looking to donate my embryos and got an overwhelming response (more than 50 people emailed me) and I also looked in Facebook groups. Five times I had felt really good about a potential match and all five times (prior to finding NRFA.org) something happened that put a wrench into it. I was honestly starting to get really discouraged and starting to think that maybe I’d never find a match… maybe I was the problem…maybe I’d never think someone would be good enough.
How long was it before you communicated with a recipient on NRFA.org?
Honestly I created the profile, then didn’t give it much thought after that. I believe it was about a month of being on there before I finally found the time to really dive into it. Once I did, I narrowed it down to two potential matches and started conversations with both. I really liked them and showed both to my husband to get his feedback. I dove right into it and asked all questions I needed answers to, and answered anything they wanted to know. After about a week of lengthy conversations, we made our choice and offered our embryos to our recipient family.
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your recipient’s family?
We had so many similar interests. They reminded me a lot of my husband and me. She and I liked many of the same things, and her husband and mine seemed to have very similar personalities. I loved that they already had adopted a child domestically and their outlook on her adoption and the relationship with her bio family and especially siblings. One thing that was really important to me was that I wanted my kids to have the chance to know their biological siblings, and it was nice that we were on the same page as far as that.
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.)
It was very easy. She sent me over the contract and I added a few things that were important to me. She mailed her notarized copy, and I had mine notarized and mailed it back. I then called my clinic and got the medical release to release them to her. I had that notarized and mailed back to them. It was all REALLY REALLY easy. EMOTIONALLY, it was kind of the final step of letting them go. I had myself a quick cry when the contracts got notarized, but after that I felt the most amazing feeling of relief! I had been stressing about these embryos since their creation. First, worrying about what was to come of them, and then the past two years focusing strongly on finding them a match. It was always on my mind and I was so stressed out about it. Finally, this chapter is closing and another soon beginning. God granted me peace with everything, I love our recipient family and am so excited to see what will come. I know I’m in for more of an emotional roller coaster but I try not to think of unknowns and focus on things I know. I know that these embryos will now have a chance at life, and I know they deserve that. I know that I’ll be able to watch them grow up from afar, and even have the chance to meet them, and my kids will have the chance to meet them as well. I know that I’ve blessed this family with a gift that is beyond precious. This woman will hopefully be able to carry and deliver her baby. There is no words that can express the gratitude I have for her, that she is opening up her heart, body and family to these precious embryos.
What has brought you the most comfort throughout this process?
Prayer. Two years ago I honestly wasn’t even close to being in the place that I am now. Its been a very long, stressful, emotional processes but I’ve prayed daily for God to help me be strong enough to go through with this, to let go, to find the right family that was meant to have these babies, and to be at peace with it. God is so good and has answered every one of my prayers.
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
Honestly, the way that I feel. I’m excited for what’s to come. I’m so happy to have found a match that I really like and I pray these embryos bless her with lots of babies! I was very surprised to feel the relief that I did when the contracts were signed and went in the mail. I thought I was going to be depressed to be honest. But I haven’t felt not one wave of depression. I know in my heart this was the right thing to do, and there are soooo many positive things. I’m focusing on all of the positives and looking forward to the next chapter in this crazy emotional journey!
Embryo Match Success – Recipients, 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.
Embryo Match Success – Donors, Gabriella & Ben
Embryo donors Gabriella & Ben waited for months for an agency to match them with a family. After just two weeks on NRFA, their wait was over. “We have peace and happiness about donating our embryos to this wonderful couple! These precious embryos are going to an awesome family that we hope to have as extended family in very near future.”
What led you to embryo donation?
While my husband I were still struggling with infertility, I met a friend through my local infertility support group. She was in the process of beginning embryo adoption. So I learned about embryo adoption through her back in 2008. Her family now has three children through embryo adoption. When we had our twins, we knew our family was complete, and we knew we wanted to give our 5 remaining embryos a chance at life with a wonderful family.
How long had your family been looking to donate embryos prior to registering on NRFA.org?
We had been looking to donate since January 2014, but didn’t go on the NRFA site until July 2014.
How long was it before you communicated with a recipient on NRFA.org?
We found our family in less than two weeks!
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your recipient’s family?
They are Christians, have been married for 5-10 years, have open adoptions with both of their kids birth/genetic families, and they love to travel like we do.
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.)
Matching went quickly! They were in our state for another event and we were able to meet in person before we matched! Legal contract and medically planning has taken longer but that is not unusual since we want an open adoption.
What has brought you the most comfort throughout this process?
That these precious embryos are going to an awesome family that we hope to have as extended family in very near future.
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
No surprises yet because we just donated, so we are in the beginning stages but we do have peace and happiness about donating our embryos to this wonderful couple!
Embryo Match Success – Recipients, Laura & James
Laura & James matched with an embryo donor after being on NRFA.org for only ONE WEEK!“It really isn’t as daunting as it seems! …With the Internet you have so many questions and answers at your fingertips. It was as easy as getting a contract notarized and having them shipped.”
What led you to embryo adoption?
My husband and I are unable to have biological children and always knew we would adopt. I heard about embryo adoption and felt pulled toward it. We did a lot of research on agencies but eventually decided to pursue a private match. Just like domestic adoption, there are many ways to find a genetic family. We matched using a similar website in 2012 and has 2 failed FET’s. After the failed cycles, we adopted our daughter last year domestically. Then, I heard about NRFA and just thought I would take a look.
How long had your family been looking for embryos or seeking an adoption prior to registering on NRFA.org?
I looked on the other website here and there, but didn’t seriously start looking until a few weeks before I signed up for NRFA.
How long was it before you were contacted by a donor on NRFA.org?
Only 1 week!
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your donor’s family?
We have a lot of hobbies that are the same, and seem to be on the same page as far as treating this as an adoption rather than a donation. These are babies we are adopting. We also have similar parenting styles.
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.)
It really isn’t as daunting as it seems! This is our second time around, so we know what to expect. With the Internet you have so many questions and answers at your fingertips. It was as easy as getting a contract notarized and having them shipped.
When do you plan to do (or when did you do) a transfer?
We are hoping for a December transfer.
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
How many people are going through the same thing. Adoption is such an emotional journey, and when people know you have adopted, you hear so many stories of how adoption has affected their life as well. People are usually shocked when they find out you can be pregnant with your adopted child.
Embryo Match Success – Donors, Katie & Scott
Katie & Scott found peace of mind and closure when they matched on NRFA and donated their remaining embryos. “We are very happy that we worked through the emotions to get to this wonderful place of blessing another family.”
What led you to embryo donation?
After going through IVF and seeing two little 5 day embryos turn into our beautiful boy and girl twins, we couldn’t imagine getting rid of our remaining two embryos. Boy and girl twins were a dream come true, but now my husband and I see our family as complete. We love the idea of donating so that our little embryos will have a chance at life and another couple, struggling with infertility, will also have a better chance at a family.
How long had your family been looking to donate embryos prior to registering on NRFA.org?
We had considered donating for about six months before we signed up.
How long was it before you communicated with a recipient on NRFA.org?
We were communicating with waiting families within the first day we signed up.
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your recipient’s family?
We found a lot of connections with our adoptive family. We both are religious, both have close ties to family and the mother-to-be and I were similar, while the father-to-be was similar to my husband as well. We feel our little embryos will have a chance at a wonder life with this adoptive family and will have a life similar to what life would be in our home.
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.)
For me, the process of communicating with waiting families was not difficult, but the emotional process was more than I expected. For me, it was alarmingly easy to know a good fit from a not so good fit. Telling people that we were not a good fit was difficult, but once we found the perfect family, everything was a breeze. Our adoptive family lives in another state, but the process went quickly and easily. I’m so excited for them.
What has brought you the most comfort throughout the embryo adoption (embryo donation) process?
For us, peace of mind was there when we found the perfect family. I feel confident we are making the right decision.
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
Though I am so busy with my own children, I was surprised how emotional it was to go through the process of donating. I am in a Facebook support group for Donors only and it is very common for deep emotions to happen during the process. I am very happy that I worked through the emotions to get to this wonderful place of blessing another family.
Embryo Match Success – Donors, Mine & Cody
After 3 failed IVF cycles, Mine & Cody decided to sign up on NRFA. “We didn’t have to make a ‘family book’ or get a home inspection. It was so nice to do everything online, all on one website. This is a connection of families with other families – it is a beautiful thing.”
What led you to embryo adoption?
My husband and I have been going through fertility issues for about a year and a half. In the early stages of us trying to conceive, my OBGYN was running some general test on me, and my low ovarian reserve came up. At that point, no one knew how bad it was, just that my numbers were very low. We were transferred to a fertility doctor to run some more test on my husband and I. The results came back that my husband and I have the same fertility issue, our doctor described it similar to organ failure, but with our reproductive organs. We were shocked- we are 27 years olds and healthy and truthfully never saw this coming. Within one year, we had gone through 3 cycles of IVF. With the first 2, we used both my husband and I’s genetics. Unfortunately none of our embryos made it to day 5 to even get an embryo transfer. The 3rdround, we tried my eggs and a donor sperm. At this point, we were seeing if it was my egg quality as well. With the max amount of medicines we had only gotten 3 eggs and 1 made it to day 5 for our first transfer. Unfortunately, pregnancy was not achieved that round. My husband and I have always had a heart for adoption, I remember talking about it earlier in our relationship and he said something in a way I had never though about it. He said, he thought that if you can afford it, then everyone needs to adopt. I remember since being a little girl, I have always loved everything about pregnancy. I truthfully wish I would have gotten my RN and would love to work in labor and delivery. To know that a human body can grow another life was just amazing to me. When our 3rd cycle did not achieve pregnancy, our doctor and us were talking a little bit about adoption, but she also told us about embryo adoption. I have had four different fertility doctors say that I can carry, and that I have no issues other than my eggs. When our doctor told us about embryo adoption, Cody and I felt so strongly that God really combined the two things we both had a passion and heart for and combined it into one amazing gift.
How long had your family been looking for embryos or seeking an adoption prior to registering on NRFA.org?
My husband and I started looking that same day. Trying to figure out what fit us. At first we were getting frustrated. I’m a big marketing person and my husband always laughs because typically I buy things based on packaging. So some websites we looked at were immediate NO’S for me. I was following an IVF group on baby center and I was reading someone post about adoption, and someone had commented about NRFA.org and that it was newer website. The second I clicked into NRFA.org it was like a breath of fresh air. Everything is so easy and user friendly. It kind of reminded me of a “Facebook” idea of connecting people with other families, and everything is at your finger tips and online.
How long was it before you were contacted by a donor on NRFA.org?
The night we finished filling out all of our questions on NRFA.org we were looking at our recommended matches. We had 3 at the time. As soon as we saw our donors, we knew they were amazing and we wanted to know more. So we messaged them first that night.
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your donor’s family?
They truthfully are so amazing. Not only did they give us the most precious gifts. They seem like people we would be friends with. The female donor and I seem like the same person, which is so cool! Both type A personalities. They seem so normal, which truthfully is nice! They have made everything so incredibly easy with this whole process and we could no be more grateful for them.
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.)
Well, this process was a piece of cake compared to certain things we have done this year. We used the same lawyers as our donors. With embryo adoption, everything seems very black and white, which I find extremely helpful. The whole legal process took us about 3-4 weeks and that was done. The matching, like I said before was so incredibly easy and the fact that you get to really know these people is incredible. The medical planning has been great as well, in our legal contract we had discussed that I use the doctor where the embryos are stored, and the distance is about 3 ½ hours from us, so that was no big deal. We went to meet and have a consultation with the doctor and pretty much started everything that next day. They were able to put me on the next cycle they were doing for transfer times.
When do you plan to do (or when did you do) a transfer?
We plan to do our transfer on our 2 healthy embryos on October 27th! As of now, I have been getting my checkups and scans here at our fertility doctor closer to home and they are just acting as the lab and sending it to our doctor where the transfer will be performed, they call me the same day with updates on if I need to do anything different with medications.
If your transfer has already been done, do you have the results yet? If positive, when are you due?
Not yet…. But we feel great about this! Fingers crossed and lots of prayers!
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process?
I feel the biggest surprise was how easy all of this was. Everything was right here. We didn’t have to make a “family book” or we didn’t have to get a home inspection. It was so nice to do everything online, all on one website. The fact that this is a connection of families with other families is a beautiful thing.
Embryo Match Success – Charis & Duffy
As Charis & Duffy transfer their adopted embryos TODAY, they reflect, “Some of our greatest blessings have been born from our greatest sorrows. Had we not stepped beyond our fears to embrace embryo adoption, we would have foregone so much joy in raising our children and loving our donor families.”
What led you to embryo adoption?
After many years of unsuccessful fertility treatments our best guess at a diagnosis was premature diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). When we first heard about embryo adoption, Charis was intrigued but Duffy was reluctant. He was thrilled with the domestic adoption we had just completed for our first daughter and saw no need to change paths. After much prayer and consideration, the perfect donor family compelled us to move forward with a transfer of two embryos, resulting in the birth of our second daughter. Hoping to grow our family again, we were blessed to match on NRFA.org and are scheduled for a frozen embryo transfer (FET) on February 3, 2015.
How long had your family been looking for embryos or seeking an adoption prior to registering on NRFA.org?
We had been registered with another web based matching service for about 10 months with no success or contact from donors.
How long was it before you were contacted by a donor on NRFA.org?
We were contacted by two donor families within four months. We were ecstatic!
What special connections or commonalities have you noticed between your family and your donor’s family?
They are everything we prayed for in a donor family. It was surreal to get to know them and realize how perfectly we were matched for each other. We had the same views on religion, family values, and both desired an open adoption relationship. They are even located in a city that we always visit once a year, and the timing worked out so that we got to meet them before finalizing the match.
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 was much easier than I expected. The embryos had already been donated to a nationally recognized embryo donation clinic in Tennessee, so I worried that we would have trouble getting them released. It was a breeze. The clinic was delightful to work with and worked quickly to get our embryos shipped to us.
When do you plan to do (or when did you do) a transfer?
February 3, 2015! We are so excited!
What has been the biggest surprise to you throughout this process? T
here have been moments of fear, hesitation, sorrow, excitement, relief, and joy on this journey…but the trump card was always “love”. Love for our potential children, our beloved donors, and our Lord who led us (and carried us) every step of the way. I would encourage those considering embryo adoption and donation to let “love” be their trump card as well. Some of our greatest blessings have been born from our greatest sorrows. Had we not stepped beyond our fears to embrace embryo adoption, we would have foregone so much joy in raising our children and loving our donor families.
