Donating Embryos

If you have completed your family, but have remaining embryos, Era is a family-centered program for you to work with to give your embryos a chance at a future.

At Era, we put the needs of both the donating families and intended parents, as the top priority.

We know that the decision of what to do with your remaining embryos can be very challenging. As annual storage fees are increasing across the country, paying for embryos you never intend to use can become frustrating.

Each embryo has the potential to become a child, and with modern IVF technology, many embryos are left behind in freezers each year while the rates of infertility continue to rise. Era is here to help!

If you are considering donating your embryos, let's learn more about the Era way and how to start the process…

Requirements to donate embryos:

  • Embryo creation must have occurred in the United States.

  • Medical and embryology records must be available for review (and will be requested from your clinic).

  • Euploid, blastocyst embryos are preferred. Mosaic and aneuploid embryos are not accepted. If you have blastocyst embryos that were not genetically tested or cleavage stage (day 3) embryos, records will be extensively reviewed before a determination is made.

  • Autologous, donor egg, and donor sperm embryos will all be accepted pending review of records and proper initial screening.

Understanding the process:

let's learn more about the Era way and how to start the process…

Step 1:

Complete this form to begin the process of registering your embryos with Era. 

Step 2:

Our embryo donation coordinator will reach out to help walk you through the process step by step.

Step 3:

We will gather required records from your IVF cycle from your fertility clinic. This will include medical records, required infectious disease labs, and your embryology records. Our embryo donation coordinator will review all records. Sometimes you may be requested to go get additional blood work done at a labcorp location near you (at no cost to you).

Step 4:

Complete your required paperwork, which includes a medical questionnaire, legal papers, and embryo transport request.

Step 5:

Era will arrange for transport of your embryos.

Understanding the legality with embryo donation – Who do the donated embryos belong to?

When you make the decision to donate your embryos, you then waive your parental rights to the embryos. This means that the intended parents (those who receive the embryos) become the legal parents of the potential children from your donated embryos.

All paperwork is provided by Era and is legally binding, you do not need to pay for your own lawyer. As there are no laws regarding adoption of embryos, we have created the contract to match the current position of the courts that the embryos are property.

The contract covers the transfer of property to Era and other language that would be releasing you from any liability. These legal forms are signed and executed prior to any frozen embryo transfer being performed.

What is anonymous embryo donation?

No gamete donation program is truly anonymous due to advancing home genetic testing options, but most embryo donations through Era are non-identified due to donor desire..

In an anonymous (non-identified) donation, you will not know who receives your embryos and they will not know who the embryos were donated by. Ultimately, this decision can be difficult and out embryo coordinator is happy to review options with you. We keep in touch with those who donate embryos in order to update family history. One advantage with Era is our “large reach” and the ability to have embryos and recipients from all over the country, thus diversifying the gene pool.

With Era, you will have a personalized approach to matching donor embryos with recipient needs. I

What is directed embryo donation?

If you have a recipient known to you who you wish to donate your embryos to or if you are interested in identified donation (eventually being known to your recipient) through Era, this can be done through Era Embryos and please make this known when you are completing the donation form. Please note, there will be extra steps to complete before accepting identified embryos and there may be donor responsible costs for this option.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Your initial paperwork includes basic information about embryos, collection date and where they are stored, we will also need to request and review all records pertaining to the initial embryo creation. You will also complete an Embryo Donor Profile which includes medical and family history, physical characteristics, and pictures of you as a child if possible. When a recipient receives donor embryos, there is often a lot of uncertainty in the process, and completing the donor profile is very important. You will also complete a medical screening questionnaire required by the FDA for all gamete or embryo donation.

  • For anonymous donation, there is no cost to donate your embryos to Era. You do not have to continue paying storage fees or arrange transport. You do not need to find your own lawyer or come in for a medical visit. Era seeks to make this transition as easy as possible for you. If you are interested in identified donation, our embryo coordinator will review the extra steps and cost required.

  • No, once you donate your embryos to Era you waive all legal responsibility. Under current law, once the embryos have been transferred, the genetic parents have no legal claim to any resulting children. The contract agreement and relinquishment forms are legally binding between the Era and the donor and recipient families.

  • Era Embryos works hand-in-hand with Fora Fertility in order to facilitate the frozen embryo transfer (FET). Though you do not need to be an established patient with Fora Fertility to donate your embryos. All recipients of Era embryos will establish care at Fora. You may continue to have monitoring with your current REI if that is of interest to you.

  • Era strives makes the process as streamlined as possible. As long as the clinic you froze your embryos at followed standard protocol, you will not need any further testing for anonymous donation. Those who are interested in identified donation will be required to complete psychological screening and additional legal requirements at cost of the donor.

  • Not all embryos are suitable for transfer. We uphold the same criteria that we always will when allowing patients to donate and accept embryos – only high quality embryos will be accepted. If your embryos are frozen on day 3 or not genetically tested – we will review records and make a determination to see if they can be accepted. We strive to help as many families as possible, but the final decision will be made after review of each situation individually. We accept any number of embryos (even if you only have 1). We will not accept or transfer aneuploid or mosaic embryos and will discard those sent to us.

  • No, the Era Embryo program will honor your desire to be identified or not-identified. However, if you desire to be identified, you will not select who receives your embryos. Our embryo coordinator works hard to match embryo donors and recipients based on needs and desires. Regardless if you are donating anonymously or identified, you are transferring rights to your embryos to Era. Era will then match embryos and recipients. If you have a known recipient to you (friend, family), this can be done and is a different circumstance.

  • Yes, known, directed or identified embryo adoption is permitted through Era, as long as the embryo(s) still meet our guidelines for transfer. There will be an added expense to identified donation as there are more FDA requirements and you will have to be willing to complete further screening, such as psychological and legal evaluations, if required.