Embryo Donor Resources

Webinars

With so many webinars to choose from, we wanted to let you know about three of the favorites that we consistently see help families be best prepared to parent through embryo adoption. You may view Past Webinars, on our Embryo Adoption Awareness Center YouTube website.

The benefits of choosing open adoption

There is much fear and uncertainty regarding choosing an open adoption plan. The Henderson and Gassman families were matched through Snowflakes. Listen as they explain the steps they purposefully made to build trust and love into their new family tree.
 

God's Heart for Adoption

Embryo Donor Stories

Photo Gallery

Over 1,000 Babies Born Into Loving Families

View the Snowflakes Photo Gallery

Pathway2Family Magazine

Conveniently read this unique embryo donation and embryo adoption magazine on your favorite device.  Each issue contains insight regarding the process, visual guides and family stories. We want to help you find your Pathway2Family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why donate embryos through an agency program vs a donation program?

Snowflakes® provides the same safeguards that the traditional adoption process offers. You will know that the family you have chosen to parent your pre-born child(ren) has been screened for a criminal history and child abuse record, as well as received education about how to parent an adoptee. You have the peace of mind of having handpicked a family to raise your genetic child. You also have the opportunity to have contact with your adopting family to whatever extent you both are comfortable.

Do you encourage the creation and freezing of embryos?

No, we are trying to provide a loving option to the families of the over 1,000,000 (estimated) embryos frozen in clinics and cryo-banks throughout the United States.

Is embryo adoption legal?

The adoption agreement and relinquishment forms are legal contracts between the two families. As there are limited laws regarding adoption of embryos, we have created the contract to match the current position of the courts that the embryos are property. The contract covers the transfer of property and also includes additional adoption language. These legal forms are signed and executed prior to the embryos being shipped to the adoptive parents’ clinic and before the embryos are implanted in the adoptive mother.

How long are frozen embryos viable? Can embryos frozen more than 10 years be donated?

There have been no definitive studies proving how long embryos can stay frozen and remain viable. We have had successful pregnancies with embryos frozen for 23+ years. We believe each embryo, no matter its age, is a precious life that should be given the opportunity to grow.

Can embryos be donated if donor eggs and/or donor sperm were used to create them?

Yes, we just need to obtain copies of your donor profile, egg donor consent and donor infectious disease screen results. We will provide a copy of the donor profile to the adopting family along with the family health history that you provide. We need a copy of the egg donor consent to verify that you have the legal authority to place the embryos for adoption with another couple and they are not specifically for your use only. The infectious disease results are part of the FDA requirements for the adopting family’s clinic to accept the embryos into their facility.

Embryo adoption is just surrogacy, right?

No. In surrogacy, an agreement is made for a woman to carry a pregnancy for the benefit of the intended parents. In our program, the embryo donors relinquish all rights to the child prior to the frozen embryo transfer. The child that the adoptive mother carries is the child that the adoptive couple will parent. When the adopting mother gives birth to the child her name, and the name of her husband, will be placed on the birth certificate at the hospital. 

Can we donate our embryos through Snowflakes if they are stored outside of the U.S.?

Unfortunately, after many attempts to bring embryos into the U.S. from another country have been unsuccessful. We have determined to only accept embryo donations if the embryos are stored at a facility located within the U.S.

Embryo adopters who live outside of the U.S. are welcome into the program. Most of the adoption process can be managed via phone and email.  The frozen embryo transfer (FET) must take place at one of our preferred partner clinics located in the U.S.

How do I plan for the future of my embryos in case I unexpectedly pass away?

The Snowflake program has created a guide and associated forms to help you prepare appropriate instructions and documentation for your subsequent representative upon your death.

Books

Whether you are first learning about embryo adoption and want to read more, or you’ve got an embryo adopted child of your own, we hope these books will encourage and inspire. 

 

For Kids

X

Snowflake Baby

By Chris & Kari Stewart

Written by a couple who gave birth to their Snowflake Baby in 2018. A story of hopes dashed and hopes fulfilled, told in allegory and poetry. This charming story follows couples through their infertility journeys onto welcoming their babies into the world.

Discover More
X

Made with Love

By Whitney Williams

Explaining embryo donation and adoption to young children can be hard. But ‘Made With Love’ makes it easy by using an allegory every child can understand: baking cookies! A visual feast with the sweetest-ever rhyming story line, donating and adopting families alike will eat up this heartwarming tale.

Discover More
X

You Were Made for Me

By Sheri Sturniolo

Growing a family isn’t always easy and sometimes mommies and daddies need a little help. See how the generosity and love of others can grow into the most wonderful gift. You Were Made For Me is a look into the unique ways that some families are made and the journey of love that brings them together.

Discover More
X

Hope and Will Have a Baby

By Iréné Celcer

Follow an inquisitive little boy who learns of his parents’ quest to have children, and the success they ultimately achieve in creating a family. Told in a language a child can understand, these books recount the tale of how mom and dad met, fell in love, and ultimately built a family.

Discover More
X

A Gift for Little Tree

By Colleen Marquez

A parable about adoption, this charming story tells of an apple tree who is unable to bear fruit—no matter how hard she tries—until a wise farmer finds a way. He grafts a bud onto Little Tree’s limb, and in time she becomes the most colorful tree in the orchard.

Discover More
X

Before You Were Born: Our Wish for a Baby

By Janice Grimes

A story book written in age-appropriate, loving language and tells the story of how a child came to be via embryo donation or embryo adoption. The book is written for 3-5 year olds. Using bears as characters, the illustrations depict the typical day in the life of a child interacting with their parent.

Discover More
X

What Makes a Baby

By Cory Silverberg

“A Truly Inclusive Way to Answer the Question ‘Where Do Babies Come From?’: The new book What Makes a Baby offers an origin story for all children, no matter what their families look like.”
—The Atlantic

Discover More
X

Training Wheels: How Did I Get Here?

By Chris Barrett and Sally Hunter

The story is about five year old Miles and the new bike he gets for his birthday from his special friend, Mike in California. Miles’ parents explain that Mike’s mom and dad generously donated their remaining embryos and he was born as a result of their loving gift.
—The Atlantic

Discover More
X

Treasure Babies: How two under-the-sea families came to be

By Whitney Williams

“Treasure Babies: How two under-the-sea families came to be” was written to help children understand the basic concepts of infertility, conception through IVF/fertility treatments, and the beauty that is embryo donation/adoption. Great for families who have donated their embryos and for recipient families!
—The Atlantic

Discover More
X

The Pea That Was Me: An Embryo Donation Story

By Kimberly Kluger-Bell

A great way to introduce children conceived through embryo donation to the idea that “some very nice people” (a man and a woman) donated an extra “pea” (or embryo) to help bring them into the loving arms of “mommy and daddy”. May be read to children as young as 3 years old, and has room at the end to fill in your own child’s details.
—The Atlantic

Discover More

For Parents-To-Be

X

Frozen, But Not Forgotten

By Nate Birt

I have read the few books that exist about embryo adoption. This book makes a unique contribution: helping people really envision themselves as adoptive parents. Birt helps prospective adoptive parents become psychologically healthy to prepare for adoption, with profound advice on topics such as how to explain your story to other people in front of your children. Anyone considering embryo adoption… should read this book.
—Daniel Nehrbass, Ph.D., President of Nightlight Christian Adoptions

Discover More
X

Chosen for Greatness: How Adoption Changes the World

By Paul J. Batura

Chosen for Greatness profiles 25 well-known adoptees who were given the opportunity to change history for the better when they were taken in by their new families. While the book focuses on traditional adoption, it includes a wonderful chapter on embryo adoption.

Discover More
X

Three Makes Baby: How to parent your donor-conceived child

By Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

A fertility counselor addresses your urgent questions: Why should we tell our child we’re not genetically related? How do we tell our child about donor conception? And when is the best time? Should we keep the donor a secret? You can learn to overcome fears that make you want to keep a secret—yet maintain your family’s privacy.

Discover More
X

Of Souls and Snowflakes

By Tiffany Childs

“A thoughtful, personal, and inspirational account of a family’s desire for children that dramatically illuminates the intersection of the Gospel with the modern world.”
—John D. Koch, Jr.; Rector, St. Francis in the Fields, Louisville, KY

Discover More
X

Souls on Ice

By Maria Lancaster

Unique and inspiring. Souls on Ice invites you to share some of the most intimate moments in the lives of couples who experienced the miracle of birth through embryo adoption. Like the embryos themselves, each story is unique and reflects God’s active role in our lives today. —Ronald L. Stoddart, President Emeritus, Nightlight Christian Adoptions

Discover More
Loading...