Embryo Adoption: The Conception Option You’ve Never Heard About

Because there is paperwork to fill out, minor medical tests to perform, and in most cases, a formal home study to complete, the process usually takes between six and 12 months for adoptive parents. The Dejongs, who went through the Snowflakes program, describe their experience: "In the fall of 2002 we were matched with a couple from New Mexico with five embryos. We were able to email them to ask questions, and both families wrote biographies so we could get to know one another. We filled out our paperwork in December and the embryos were shipped to us in California in February 2003. We transferred two embryos in March, and our son was born in December."

Things happen rapidly from the donor's perspective because biological parents are only required to complete a few legal forms and undergo a couple of blood tests for infectious and genetic diseases—many of which were already performed when they created the embryos in the first place. Our embryos were adopted three months after we released them, but the adoptive couple had already finished their paperwork and were awaiting a match.