Our Process: How Embryo Donation Works Through Rejoice Embryo Rescue
If you’ve completed your family and have frozen embryos remaining, you may be wondering what to do with them. For many families, embryo donation is a deeply meaningful answer — giving another couple the chance to experience the joy of parenthood while honoring the lives already created. At Rejoice Embryo Rescue, LLC, we’ve built a process that is compassionate, transparent, and guided by the belief that every embryo deserves a chance.
We accept all embryos
One of the most important things to know upfront: Rejoice accepts embryos regardless of how they were frozen, the type of storage device, medical history, age, or embryo quality. The only embryos we are unable to accept are PGT-tested abnormal embryos — unless a recipient is already willing to accept them. Low-mosaic embryos are considered on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to find every embryo a home, and wherever possible, we work to keep sibling embryos together by placing entire sets with a single adopting family.
Step 1: The Prescreen Questionnaire
This is a short questionnaire to collect basic information and review qualifications. After completing this, you will be prompted to complete the full questionnaire. If you created the embryo(s) with a partner, you must both agree to proceed with the embryo donation.
Step 2: The Full Questionnaire
Once you submit a short prescreen questionnaire, you will be prompted to complete the full-length questionnaire. This will include in depth questions about your family medical history, as well as questions we are required by the FDA to ask. You will also be asked to decide what type of donation you wish to choose.
Types of Embryo Donation:
1) “Nonidentified” (formerly known as Closed or Anonymous): The adopting family will see de-identified donor profiles. They will not know the identity of you or your family. They will have access to your de-identified medical history and photos (if any) that you have provided to us. The adopting recipient family will not be given any identifying information or contact information by us. It is important to understand that given rapidly expanding genetic testing availability, social media, and the potential for changes in law and regulations nationwide or in the state of Tennessee, there can be no guarantees of anonymity over time between donor linked individuals and/or donor conceived offspring. However, unless compelled to by law or regulation change, Rejoice will not turn over your identifying information.
2) “Semi Open/Directed”: Semi- Open/Directed has no direct contact with the Adopting Family, and minimal birth information should be provided to you through the adoption agency affiliate. Once a baby is born you will not receive ongoing updates. You will not know the full identities of the Adopting Recipient Family, and they will not know yours. After selection by an adopting family, this requires you to approve the adopting couple and enter into an additional agreement (fee paid by adopting family) from one of the Agencies affiliated with RER that specifies an agreement between you and the adopting family regarding contact terms.
3) “Open/Directed through Agency”: You request indirect contact for ongoing updates (such as emails, photos through the years) with the adopting family which is provided through the affiliated adoption agency. You will not know the full identities of the Adopting Family, and they will not know yours. After selection by an adopting family, this requires you to approve the adopting couple and enter into an additional agreement (fee paid by adopting family) from one of the Agencies affiliated with RER that specifies an agreement between you and the adopting family regarding contact terms.
4) “Fully Open/Directed”: You request direct contact with the adopting family for ongoing updates (such as emails, photos, phone calls, possible meetups). Your full identities will be known to the Adopting Family, and you will know theirs. After selection by an adopting family, this requires you to approve the adopting couple and enter into an additional agreement (fee paid by adopting family) from one of the Agencies affiliated with RER that specifies an agreement between you and the adopting family regarding contact terms.
If you choose nonidentified (formerly anonymous) embryo donation, you will generally not receive any further communications from us. You may choose to contact us in the future to find out if your embryos have been used and if a baby was born.
If you choose any other form of open or semi-open embryo donation, then when your embryos are selected for adoption by a recipient couple, one of our affiliates will be reaching out to you to draw up contracts between you and the intended recipient parents regarding the agreed upon levels of communication. This extra step is mandatory for donors who chose any type of embryo donation besides nonidentified. And as a friendly reminder, we cannot control the speed at which your embryos are selected by a recipient couple.
Step 3: Request for Embryology Information
You will be sent an email from us asking you to sign a medical records release form, and you will also be sent an email that you can forward on to the clinic/facility where your embryos are currently stored which requests the embryology information be sent to us for a review of the records. The email will state that RER needs to be sent the following lab information:
- Embryology Freeze Report
- Embryology Thaw Protocol
- Embryology Grading Scale
- STD/FDA labs (if any) that were drawn on the egg source and sperm source at the time
- the embryos were created
- If a donor egg or donor sperm was used, we need the donor eligibility determination form to be sent
- If the embryos were genetically (PGT) tested. We need the genetic test results from the original genetics testing company. Reminder that if tested, Rejoice Embryo Rescue cannot accept embryos that are genetically abnormal.
Step 4: Sign the Donation Consent
Once RER has received all necessary embryology paperwork from your previous clinic, and we have reviewed and approved, you will be sent an email from Docusign asking you and your partner (if applicable) to sign the ‘Consent for embryo donation and continued storage of embryos.’
Step 5: Shipping and storage
Once screening is complete, Rejoice coordinates the shipping of your embryos to Rejoice IVF Lab, LLC in Knoxville using Cryoport, or a similar trusted carrier. There is no cost to you (the donor) for shipping or storage. Upon arrival, every device is verified against inventory to ensure accurate tracking. Our lab features dual-tank 24/7 temperature monitoring, thermal video surveillance via CryoSentinel, and manual liquid nitrogen checks three times per week by our embryologists. All alarms go directly to the personal cell phones of five lab staff members, ensuring round-the-clock coverage every day of the year.
Rejoice IVF Lab is Knoxville’s first accredited IVF lab, earning Joint Commission accreditation every year since 2021 — and our own Dr. Gordon and Head Embryologist Sarah Atkinson hold the privilege of thawing and transferring the Guinness World Record-breaking oldest embryos ever to achieve a pregnancy: frozen for nearly 31 years.
Step 6: Matching with an adopting family
Your embryos are entered into our donor database, which is searchable by our affiliated faith-based adoption agencies:
- Snowflakes (Nightlife Christian Adoptions)
- Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park
- Flourish Adoption Ministries
- Embryos Alive
- Lauren Wilson, LMSW of Flourish Consulting Services
You determine your level of contact. If you prefer a closed/non-identified adoption, your role is complete once all forms are signed, and you have been approved as a donor. If you choose open or semi-open adoption, an affiliated agency will reach out for your approval once a match is found, and legal contracts will specify the agreed-upon contact arrangements. We currently have recipient families waiting, so your embryos are likely to be matched quickly.
Your decision matters
Choosing to donate your embryos is one of the most generous decisions a family can make. It’s also a deeply personal one — and there is no single right path. Whether you want a fully closed (formerly anonymous) process or an open relationship with the adopting family, Rejoice and our partner agencies will honor your wishes every step of the way.
If you choose to donate your embryos to Rejoice Embryo Rescue, we will handle them with the utmost care, skill, and respect. We would be honored to walk alongside you as you give this incredible gift to another family.
Please make sure to read our Donation – Frequently Asked Questions! Embryo Donation