Canada starts country’s first open embryo donation program
Posted April 9, 2010 6:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For those who have completed in-vitro fertilization and have hundreds of frozen embryos, they may be unsure what to do with the remaining embryos, but now there is another option.
The first open embryo donation program in Canada has been launched by Beginnings Family Services, a not-for-profit registered charity providing pregnancy support services, infertility counselling, and adoption services to clients since the mid 1980’s.
IVF has resulted in thousands of unused frozen embryos, which remain stored in fertility clinics across Canada. Up until now, the only options were to have them destroyed, donate them for medical research, or leave them stored indefinitely.
Kerry Vandergrift, Beginnings Executive Director, said that embryo donation is not adoption or surrogacy, as the couple donating can make the decision to help other infertile women become pregnant. Moreover, those making the donation can choose the couple they wish to help.
“It offers people an opportunity to get to know each other” says Vandergrift.
Although the woman who is impregnated will be considered the child’s birth mother, the program is based on open communication and contact between the donor parents, the recipients, and eventually, the child.
Those interested can learn more about the program by visiting www.beginnings.ca.
