Embryo adoption is still considered a fairly new practice, but can be an excellent option for families that are able to carry a pregnancy to term. When a family has a successful pregnancy from In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and does not want to attempt any more pregnancies, they may decide to donate their unused embryos to a prospective adoptive couple. If the embryos are not donated, they most often remain frozen in storage until they are no longer viable. the donating family uses the services of an embryo adoption agency to match them with a waiting adoptive family,  and the embryos are transferred to the prospective adoptive parents through a legal process. The prospective adoptive mother is then implanted with the embryos through IVF. Though it is essentially the same process as IVF, embryo adoption has a slightly higher success rate than IVF.

To be eligible for an embryo adoption, the prospective adoptive family must complete a home study. Chrysalis House is able to work with families to complete the home study process and can refer you to embryo adoption agencies to complete the rest of the process. Embryo adoption also typically involves the use of an attorney during the legal part of the transfer process.