Giving other patients the chance to conceive
Once couples and individuals undergoing IVF treatment complete their families, they may decide to donate their remaining embryos to another couple or individual. This can be arranged between donors and recipients who know each other, or they may donate their embryos to the clinic to allocate to unknown recipients.
Melbourne IVF currently has a waiting list for donor embryos of 6 - 12 months.
Who can be an embryo donor?
Couples and individuals who have completed their families and have additional embryos in storage will need to decide what will happen with those embryos. Some choose to donate them to another couple or individual.
They do this for a variety of reasons, including:
- not wanting to waste the embryos
- believing it is ethically preferable to donate rather than dispose of embryos
- feeling compassion for others struggling with infertility
Can an embryo donation help me?
If other fertility treatments have been unsuccessful (or are extremely unlikely to be successful), one of our fertility specialists or counsellors may suggest embryo donation as an option for you.
If you decide to go down this path, you will be placed on the donor embryo waiting list following an initial counselling session with one of our embryo donation program counsellors. You must be 45 years of age or younger to be placed on the waiting list, and unfortunately we will need to take you off the list if you haven’t completed the process for allocation of donor embryos by your 46th birthday.
Donating your embryos
In order to consider your embryos for donation you are required to complete a Genetic and Medical Health Questionnaire. If this indicates a family history of genetic conditions, a clinical geneticist will assess your suitability to donate your embryos.
At the same time your embryos will be assessed by a senior embryologist for their pregnancy potential and suitability for donation. If your embryos are suitable for donation you will be required to attend at least two counselling sessions to discuss the implications of donating your embryos. You will also be required to sign a consent form to donate your embryos.
You will also be required to undertake screening blood tests for infectious diseases and some genetic conditions.
Once the above process is complete your embryos are ready for allocation. Prior to allocation your counsellor will contact you and send you de-identified information regarding potential recipients.
Using embryos donated by others
If you want to become a recipient of donated embryos, you must have completed your own treatment; including using frozen embryos you have in storage.
Once you have been placed on the embryo donor waiting list, you need to keep in contact with the donor program nurse every three months, to confirm your wish to remain on the waiting list, and so we can ensure your contact details are current and correct.
When you near the top of the waiting list, the program nurse will contact you and schedule at least two counselling sessions to discuss the social, legal and emotional implications of being a recipient of donor embryos. We also ask you to sign a consent form and will organise screening blood tests.
Once the above process is complete you will be ready for an allocation of donor embryos. Your counsellor will be in contact with you when a potential allocation is offered, and the donor’s de-identified information will be sent to you. If you accept the offer, the embryos will be allocated to you and treatment may commence.
Find out more about our embryo donation program:
> Phone our Embryo Donor Program Nurse on (03) 9473 4401
> Contact us for further information on embryo donation
> Download our Embryo Donation Patient Information booklet, which tells you more about what is involved in becoming or using an embryo donor.
