Embryo Donation Process for Recipients

Everyone who has gone through IVF has had infectious disease screening completed before their embryos were created — that includes HIV 1 and 2, HTLV 1 and 2, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis. If an egg or sperm donor was used in creating the embryos, FDA labs were completed at that time as well.

Because these embryos were originally created for use between sexually intimate partners, not all of the FDA-required screening that applies to third-party donors — such as egg donors, sperm donors, or surrogates — was completed. As a result, the embryos are classified as "ineligible but acceptable" for transfer, which is a standard FDA designation for this situation and does not affect their safety or viability.

Most donating couples will not have had genetic screening completed, which is worth discussing with your physician.

Each profile includes everything we have available, which typically covers basic health information, donation preferences, general physical characteristics like height, weight, hair and eye color, ethnicity, their ages when the embryos were frozen, any medical or surgical history they've identified, any family history provided, and background information like occupation, state, and education when available.

Each profile lists all available embryo information, which may include embryo grading, the year the embryos were frozen, gender if genetic testing has been done, outcomes from other embryos in the batch if known, whether an egg or sperm donor was involved in creating them, the stage at which they were frozen, and genetic carrier results if screening was completed.

The amount of available information varies by profile, and we always recommend having your IVF physician review all medical records before you proceed.

Embryo grading is assigned by the embryologist when the embryo is frozen to give a sense of its quality.

At HRC Fertility, the grading scale works like this:

• a Fully Hatching or Hatching Blastocyst graded BB or better is an A.
• An Expanding Blastocyst graded BB or AA is an A-/B+.
• A Blastocyst graded BB or AA is a B/B-.
• An Early Blastocyst graded AA or BB is a C+/C.
• A Compacting embryo is a C-.

Your physician will discuss what the grading means for your specific embryos and what to expect in terms of success rates during your consultation.

Yes. Visit our PGT-A Testing page to learn more about your options.

Yes, when the embryos have already had genetic testing. Some profiles on our database include tested embryos with the sex identified — if so, it will be listed directly on the profile. Learn more on our Gender Selection page.

No. At this time, donor embryos stored at HRC Fertility cannot be transferred to an outside clinic. The transfer can take place at any HRC Fertility clinic.

On transfer day, your HRC consent forms will include your specific donor embryo profile number. We recommend writing this number down before you arrive so you can verify it yourself. It's a simple step and gives you complete peace of mind.

No, and this is an important distinction. An HSG checks whether your fallopian tubes are open. A uterine cavity evaluation — which may be a sonohysterogram, mock transfer, or hysteroscopy — checks for uterine anomalies like polyps, septums, or fibroids that could affect implantation.

They're different tests serving different purposes. Your physician will order the right one.

Generally up to 12 months.

Each physician sets their own guidelines. For patients over 45, most physicians order additional testing — typically a stress test, EKG, chest X-ray, mammogram, and pap smear — to confirm you're healthy enough to carry. Most of this can be done by your primary care physician.

At least 9 months after a vaginal delivery, at least 12 months after a c-section. If you're breastfeeding, stop breastfeeding and have two normal periods before completing pre-testing.