Snowflakes Frozen Embryo Adoption Program

Want to Adopt Embryos?

Did you know that you can carry and give birth to your adopted baby? The Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program makes it possible for you to adopt embryos from couples who have completed their IVF treatments and have remaining embryos. These embryos are currently stored in fertility clinics and are waiting to be adopted into loving homes.

As an adoptive parent, you receive autobiographical information, medical health history, and pictures from the family whose embryos you adopt. You adopt all the embryos a family has, and the embryos are transported to your local fertility clinic. Your own doctor can perform the frozen embryo transfer, and you can finally hear the long-awaited words, "You're pregnant!"

Prior to being matched with the embryos you will ultimately adopt, you will have an adoption homestudy. You can read more about that process at our Adoption Homestudy Services page. If you live in Southern California or South Carolina, Nightlight will perform your adoption homstudy. For a list of agencies that perform embryo adoption homestudies in other states, take a look at this list (at the Embryo Adoption Awareness website).

Over 200 babies have been born through our Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program, and dozens of families are awaiting a loving couple to adopt their embryos. We invite you to read through our Fact Sheet (linked below) to learn more about our program, and we welcome your phone call to answer more questions or discuss your family's personal circumstances.

If you are interested in adopting multi-ethnic or non-Caucasian embryos, please take a look at our Multi-Ethnic Embryos page.

Fact Sheet for Adopting Parents Adoption Process FAQ's Estimated Embryo Adoption Cost Click Here to download pdf

Selected Questions from Fact Sheet

The questions and answers below are just a few from our Fact Sheet for Adopting Parents (PDF). Download the entire booklet for more information about Embryo Adoption.

Is Nightlight Christian Adoptions a non-profit agency?

Yes, Nightlight is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency. Fees paid by adoptive parents as well as any fundraising efforts throughout the year cover agency expenses.

Who would want to participate in this program?

Snowflakes can help create families for couples whose infertility does not allow them to create their own genetic families, especifically couples considering egg or sperm donation, or couples who want to build their family through adoption and be able to experience pregnancy and control the prenatal environment of their child.

Why would we choose embryo adoption instead of traditional adoption of a newborn?

The most obvious difference between an embryo adoption and a traditional domestic adoption is the pregnancy experience. Adoptive moms are able to experience the joys (and challenges!) of pregnancy and labor. You also have the peace of mind of knowing what your child was exposed to during pregnancy.

Although an embryo adoption allows more control in some ways, it provides less in other ways. You cannot choose the gender of the child as you might in an international or older child adoption, and you cannot change your mind and choose not to accept the baby for whatever reason after he or she is born. In addition, because up to three embryos are implanted at once, you might have twins or triplets. Embryo adoption can also be more difficult emotionally than traditional adoption, since there is no guarantee that in the end you will have a child.

Does Nightlight encourage the creation and freezing of embryos?

No, we are trying to provide a loving option to the families of the 500,000 (estimated) embryos frozen in clinics throughout the United States. As people (and clinics) have become more aware of all their available options in regards to the disposition of their embryos following in-vitro fertilization and become more attentive to the possibility of having remaining embryos, we have noticed an increased effort to limit the number of embryos that are created and to have plans in place for the disposition of their embryos following IVF. We would really prefer to work ourselves out of a job!

Can couples who do not have an infertility diagnosis adopt embryos?

Yes. Some genetic families prefer to place their embryos with families who already have children so the children born from the embryos are sure to have siblings. Other genetic families prefer to place with families who do not yet have children.

Does Snowflakes handle out-of-state embryo adoptions?

Yes. We can work with adopting families living in any state. You would just need to work with a local adoption agency to complete your home study.

Is there legal precedence for the adoption of frozen embryos?

No. Currently there are no states with laws governing embryo adoption. Nightlight uses the same steps and similar forms to those used in domestic adoption. It is our hope that instead of creating a new set of laws, the current laws for adoption will simply be expanded to include embryos.

The questions and answers above are just a few from our Fact Sheet for Adopting Parents (PDF). Download the entire booklet for more information about Embryo Adoption.

In accordance with Hague Standard 96.36 (a), Nightlight Christian Adoptions confirms that it prohibits its employees and agency from giving money or other consideration, directly or indirectly to a child’s parent(s), other individual(s) or an entity as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child. If permitted or required by the child’s country of origin, an agency may remit reasonable payments for activities related to the adoption proceedings, pre-birth and birth medical costs, the care of the child, the care of the birth mother while pregnant and immediately following birth of the child, or the provision of child welfare and child protection services generally. Permitted or required contributions shall not be remitted as payment for the child or as an inducement to release the child. (Read more at the State Department's website.)