Embryo Adoption Awareness Day

November is National Adoption Month. Of course, Embryo Adoption is near and dear to our hearts, as we have been blessed with 3 beautiful snowflake babies. We love sharing about this option, and I love that we have a specific day to help raise awareness!

For some general facts, you can read my post here. And for some information regarding donation, you can read my post here. I thought that this year I would share some of the numbers related to Embryo Adoption. 

• There are over 600,000+ embryos in frozen storage*
• Over 7,000 babies have been born through Embryo Adoption/Donation
• Embryo Adoption is available in all 50 states
• The success rate of Embryo Adoption averages 44%
• The average number of transfers to achieve a successful pregnancy is 3
• Up to 50% of donated embryos were created using donor egg or sperm
• The oldest recorded frozen embryo to result in a healthy baby is 24 years
• The average cost of Embryo Adoption is $14,000 for one attempt at pregnancy

There are many ways to build a family. Whether you choose one of the varying fertility treatments or to walk the road of adoption, many of these options are not inexpensive. One of the advantages of Embryo Adoption is that it is actually a more cost effective way to build a family. To be clear, I am not advocating for the "cheapest" way to adopt. But many people are not aware that it can sometimes be a more affordable option.

To provide some perspective on varying fertility and adoption options, I have listed some cost estimates below:

• Sperm Donation $250 to $1,000
• Egg Donation {fresh eggs, never frozen} $20,000 to $45,000
• Frozen eggs $16,000 to $20,000
• Surrogacy $75,000 to $150,000
• Domestic Infant Adoption $25,000 to $30,000
• International Adoption $25,000 to $50,000
• Frozen Embryo Adoption {agency} $12,000 to $15,000
• Frozen Embryo Donation {clinic} $4,000 to $8,000
• U.S Foster Adoption $1,500 to $3,000

It is illegal to sell embryos, but there are costs associated with embryo adoption/donation. Some of these costs are for administrative services, legal contracts, embryo shipment, transfer fees, lab/embryology fees, etc. If you choose to use an agency {like we did}, there are also costs for home studies, matching services, etc.

While Embryo Adoption is not an inexpensive option, we {obviously} believe it is worth every penny we spent. We are incredibly thankful for this amazing option, and we are so humbled and blessed by the success we had with the process.

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*though not all of these are available for adoption, as many families choose not to donate

- Facts from the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center