What is embryo donation?
Embryo donation is a straightforward assisted-reproduction treatment that uses embryos altruistically donated by patients and couples who will not use their remaining embryos. At Love Fertility Clinic, all donated embryos are already at the blastocyst stage.
How does embryo donation work?
The embryo donation process — also known as embryo adoption — follows the same structured approach as other fertility treatments. Here are the stages:
Free first consultation
The Love Fertility Clinic team reviews the medical history of each woman or couple to assess whether embryo donation is the right treatment. The first step is a gynaecological evaluation of the patient who will receive the embryo.
Embryo matching
Once you decide to go ahead with embryo donation, the team proceeds to find and assign the most suitable embryo. The Love Fertility Clinic team selects the embryo best matched to each patient according to blood group and physical characteristics as closely as possible (bear in mind that these embryos already exist, so the match aims for general similarity — techniques such as Ovomatch® cannot be applied in this case).
Endometrial preparation
The patient undergoes approximately 12 days of endometrial preparation until the lining reaches the thickness needed to receive the embryo. The medication consists of oestrogen and progesterone to replicate the body’s natural cycle. In some cases, a natural-cycle protocol can be used instead.
Embryo transfer
Embryo donation does not require IVF in the laboratory, since the embryos have already been vitrified (frozen). On the day of the transfer, the embryo is thawed in the laboratory and placed in the uterus using a thin catheter. The procedure does not require hospital admission or sedation.
Pregnancy test
Around 10 days after the embryo transfer, a beta-hCG blood test is performed. If the result is positive, one or two follow-up ultrasound scans are scheduled to confirm the heartbeat.
When is embryo donation recommended?
Embryo donation may be recommended in the following situations:
- Single women over the age of 40.
- Heterosexual couples where both partners experience infertility or have genetic incompatibility.
- Same-sex female couples aged 40 or over, or who experience infertility or cannot achieve pregnancy with their own eggs.
- Women with low or no ovarian reserve.
- Women who have had recurrent miscarriages or implantation failure.
- Women and couples who have undergone previous fertility treatments without achieving pregnancy.
Free first consultation
The team at Love Fertility Clinic is delighted to help you. You can book your free first consultation with our specialists Blanca, Isabel, Sara, and Rocío, who will explain all available treatment options and complementary techniques, success rates for your specific case, your family plan, or your wish to preserve your fertility for the future. Marian and Sonia, our nurses, will support you and answer all your questions about medication.
Our patient care team, led by María and Sole, will help you with the day-to-day at the clinic, providing financial information and financing options. We will make it easy to schedule appointments at the times that work best for you with your designated specialist.
Get in touch with us — we will answer all your questions. You will have emotional support from the very beginning, so you can feel calm and cared for throughout the process. We will be by your side on the path to motherhood — together, we will make it happen.
Shall we talk?
