Embryo donation: When hope gets a second chance.

On Monday, I shared the story of Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, a baby born in 2025 from an embryo that had been frozen since 1994. Thaddeus was welcomed by his adoptive parents Lindsey and Tim Pierce.

But this wasn’t your typical adoption: Lindsey was also his birth mother.

His story shines a light on a growing reality: the number of frozen embryos in storage is climbing.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟭.𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲?

During IVF, doctors stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, which are then fertilized with sperm.

Because not every embryo develops normally, clinics often create as many as possible to increase the chances of success. Embryos also survive freezing and thawing more reliably than eggs or sperm.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘮𝘢: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦.

Some are kept in storage indefinitely—year after year—because parents can’t bear to discard them or donate them to research.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Embryo donation (sometimes called embryo adoption) offers another path.

Families with unused embryos can donate them to intended parents, giving those embryos the chance to become children in new families.

𝗜𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟮,𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗦.—𝗮 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗹𝘆.

Some programs treat this as a straightforward medical transfer, while others follow a more formal adoption model, complete with matching, legal steps, and even home studies.

𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲?

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘆𝗲𝘀.

A typical IVF cycle costs $15,000–$20,000 (plus medications), and multiple cycles are often needed. Embryo donation through a clinic can cost less than half that amount, covering screening, matching, and the frozen embryo transfer. Adoption through an agency can be a bit more expensive due to the additional steps involved.

But the difference goes beyond cost. Embryo donation bypasses the most invasive IVF procedures for the intended mother.

And it differs from adoption because the intended parents play an integral part in the development of the child from the beginning of the baby’s growth.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗜𝗩𝗙 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Embryo donation is more than science. It’s a story reborn—a new hope for people who are struggling and striving for their family.

As Thaddeus’ story reminds us, time is not always the enemy. Sometimes, it’s just the pause before a miracle.