Michelle Emblenton, biochemist at inviTRA, talks about the alternatives to egg and sperm donation:
Double donor IVF using both donor sperm and donor eggs is one of the most expensive assisted reproduction treatments available. An alternative to this procedure could be embryo adoption and embryo donation. In an IVF treatment, a couple will often have leftover embryos, which are generally frozen for later use. If the couple decide that they do not wish to use these embryos at a later date, they may donate them to other couples who are having problems getting pregnant. When using adopted embryos the only treatment needed by the recipient woman is the preparation of her endometrium in order to prepare it to receive these embryos. One thing to bear in mind in the processes of embryo adoption and embryo donation is that the embryos themselves come from a couple who have been having problems with fertility. This may influence the chances of success of the treatment. However, the price of embryo adoption is much lower than double donor IVF and also these embryos have to be of a certain quality in order to be used for embryo donation.
