Michelle Emblenton, biochemist at inviTRA,talks to us about the advantages of adopting embryos:
Embryo donation for reproductive purposes is becoming a more and more popular treatment and there are several reasons why this is the case. The main advantages are that there is no waiting list. Once you have decided you are going to adopt embryos, you can go usually straight for the treatment. You will be matched in terms of phenotypical characteristics (your hair color, your eye color, your skin tone...) to make sure that your children will look like you, and also immunological factors (such as your blood groups). There is much less hormonal medication required for an embryo adoption, since the only hormonal medication you will need is to prepare the endometrium, which will usually require the use of estrogen and progesterone. This will prepare the endometrial lining for the embryo transfer and, when the implantation window is correct, the embryo transfer will take place. Fewer consultations are needed for embryo adoption rather than having an egg donation process and also the time spent in the process is less. Usually, if you decide to adopt embryos, within a year (if the embryo transfer is successful) you could be the proud parent of your newborn baby. Perhaps, the biggest advantage in the cost. Embryo adoption is much much cheaper than IVF with your own eggs and a great deal cheaper than IVF with donor eggs. As the medication required for embryo adoption is also lower less money will be spent on the hormonal medication.
