Embryo Donation
A loving choice made for a waiting family.
Embryo Donation
A loving choice made for a waiting family.
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How It Works
You determine your level of contact with the family. Read through our process to find out more!
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What You’ll Do
Sign our consent form. Fill out a health questionnaire. Provide information for an adopting family. Decide between open and closed adoption.
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What We’ll Do
Cover the shipping and storage fees for your embryos. Work collaboratively with the Adoption Agency to find a family for your embryos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rejoice Embryo Rescue (RER) was created to coordinate the receipt and secure storage of human embryos awaiting adoption by couples pursuing a future frozen embryo transfer with these donated embryos. RER works collaboratively with its affiliated faith-based Embryo Adoption organizations to facilitate frozen embryo transfers of donated embryos either at Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, TN (where we have significantly higher live birth rates from donated embryos per transfer than the rest of the nation) or at the clinic of your choice.
Rejoice Embryo Rescue, LLC (RER) coordinates the screening of embryo donors and the shipping of donated embryos to Knoxville, Tennessee where they are received, stored and made available for matching through the efforts of affiliates.
The lab – Rejoice IVF Lab, LLC is a Joint Commission accredited IVF laboratory and is responsible for the receipt, storage, shipping and/or thawing and transfer of donated embryos to recipients.
The clinic – Rejoice Fertility, PLLC, provides medical services to patients seeking to conceive through a variety of treatments including embryo transfers using donated embryos. Per Tennessee State Code, you will be donating your embryos through an embryo relinquishment coordinated by RER to Rejoice Fertility, PLLC. Once a recipient family selects your embryos, and all agreements and consents are signed, Rejoice Fertility, PLLC, will turn permanent legal embryo custodianship to the recipient intended parents.
Although it is called adoption, embryo adoption is not legally an “adoption” because adoption in its legal definition refers to an already born child. The proper terminology in TN is an embryo relinquishment and transfer of legal custodianship, however as we are helping put these unborn children into families, we are comfortable using the word ‘adoption’ throughout our literature and website.
RER is not an Embryo Adoption organization and does not match donors and recipients. Instead, RER works collaboratively with Embryo Adoption organizations which currently includes Nightlight’s Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program, Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park, Flourish Adoption Ministries, Embryos Alive, Christian Adoption Consultants and Lauren Wilson LMSW (Flourish Consulting Services). All matching is coordinated by one of these organizations.
No, Rejoice Fertility, Rejoice IVF Lab, and Rejoice Embryo Rescue are all no-discard facilities, meaning no alive embryo is thrown away. Every embryo that has a chance at life is treasured. Embryos that stop growing or degenerate and are no longer viable are sent for burial at no cost to the donors or recipients.
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.
RER is supported by the embryology staff of Rejoice IVF Lab, LLC, who provide all needed embryology services such as receiving, shipping, handling and continued storage of embryos. Rejoice IVF Lab, LLC is accredited by The Joint Commission. We are proud to have their Gold Seal of Approval.
In October 2024, Rejoice Fertility and Rejoice IVF Lab, LLC relocated into a state-of-the-art nearly 10,000 square ft facility in Farragut, TN that can handle a large volume of fertility procedures. Our new IVF laboratory at Rejoice has a state-of-the-art monitoring system for our cryostorage tanks. This novel system (Cryo-Sentinel) uses infrared imaging to detect early temperature changes in the embryo storage tanks alerting the staff to an issue before it is too late, which can save the embryos from a catastrophic event.
Rejoice IVF Lab, as reported by the CDC, has consistently had a significantly higher live birth rate per transfer with donor embryos than the rest of the nation. In addition to this proud achievement, it is believed that our lab is the most experienced in the nation, and likely the world at handling donated embryos, especially those that others turn away or are unable or unwilling to thaw. It is with great pride that we are able to say our Head Embryologist thawed and transferred the last TWO Guinness World Record holders for “Oldest Human Embryo to be Used in a Live Birth” with news circulating around the world about the achievement of our lab, and the precious lives we helped to bring in to this world.
While the embryo donation/relinquishment is legally permanent, Rejoice currently does allow you to change your mind up until the point that a recipient couple signs the consents to assume the Legal Custodianship of your embryos. Please note: once the donation is complete there will be shipping/handling fees and back-storage fees due if you withdraw the embryos from the donation program.
Once selected, and the embryo relinquishment to an adopting recipient family is complete, you cannot change your mind. Please make sure you are 100% sure of your decision before completing the donation process.
Since 2021 Rejoice IVF Lab has been a Joint Commission accredited IVF lab, which means we have undergone a detailed and comprehensive evaluation process for years to ensure that we are and have been following best practices in all aspects of our IVF Program.
We have robust protocols when embryos arrive in Knoxville to verify each and every embryo storage device upon arrival to our facility. Arriving embryos must be accurately tracked in an inventory and we track our inventory both using paper charts but also in an excel inventory that is backed up onto an encrypted cloud service along with our EDC Embryo Donor Database. A monthly manual backup of our electronic files is performed by our Lab Supervisor onto an encrypted flash drive just in case all other methods of redundancy were to fail.
Our embryo storage tanks are double alarmed with both temperature alarms, and thermal imagining alarms for early detection of a tank failure. All alarms will call out to our personal cell phones of the lab staff including Dr Gordon if anything goes wrong, ensuring we have 365 days/24 hours a day ability to respond with a human to an emergency. Additionally, our tanks are examined by one of our embryologists (as opposed to relying on electronic means that could fail) 3x per week to test their liquid nitrogen levels. The tanks are normally filled by lab personnel on a weekly or biweekly basis as needed. Our thermal imaging cameras have a twice a day sign off when we are in the lab to ensure tank temperatures are holding steady, and a phone app that we can check on them if we aren’t here.
Lastly, we perform both physical tank canister inventories, as well as cross referencing with the paper files to ensure an accurate inventory. We confirm these with photographs of the cane tabs, then cross reference the photographs across our excel inventory. Prior to an actual thaw, embryo storage devices are checked and double-checked with at least 2 technicians witnessing the identification of the embryos before they are thawed and verifying with their signatures. The physician performing the embryo transfer must also sign off on the identification of the devices before the transfer occurs. The devices from the thawed embryos remain attached to the embryology records. Finally, none of Rejoice IVF Lab’s embryologists have ever been involved in any mix-up, misidentification, or mislabeling of embryos.
Yes. Rejoice will accept donated embryos which will then be matched through the efforts of our affiliated Embryo Adoption organizations.
Yes. If your embryos are currently stored at Rejoice then you will not be responsible for any outstanding storage charges when you donate your embryos through RER. If you wish to move your embryos to another clinic, embryo adoption organization or storage facility then you must first pay your outstanding storage fees. Rejoice IVF Lab stores your donated embryos FREE OF CHARGE for embryo donors, unless you later decide to withdraw them from our program. If your embryos are matched with a couple who wish to have their FET at a different clinic, then shipping and handling fees, plus other applicable fees will be charged to and paid for by the adopting recipients.
Some patients wishing to donate their embryos have elected to work with a particular Embryo Adoption organization to place their embryos with an adopting family. In such cases you can further discuss with that organization whether to have your embryos shipped to and stored at Rejoice while awaiting adoption. The adopting couple can elect to have their embryo transfer at Rejoice or at another clinic. RER and Rejoice IVF Lab will coordinate the shipping of the embryos to another clinic as desired by the adopting couple. We are equally happy to work with all of our affiliates than if you donate directly to us.
Yes, RER can still accept donation of the embryos.
RER accepts all embryos for donation regardless of quality, length of time frozen, type of device, method of freeze or stage of development of the embryo(s). If the embryos are PGT tested and have abnormal or mosaic results, we can only accept them if there is already a recipient willing to adopt them. If your embryos were created with a partner, both partners must agree about the donation.
All the embryos donated directly to RER are made available to our affiliated Embryo Adoption organizations. As the donor you will be asked to choose between four types of embryo donation which determine how much contact you may or may not have with the recipient couple. The four options are:
1) Nonidentified Embryo Donation (formerly known as Anonymous)
2) Semi Open/Directed
3) Open/Directed through Agency
4) Fully Open/Directed
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.
Please see below for more in-depth descriptions:
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.
Some of the donated embryos are from our affiliated on-site fertility practice Rejoice Fertility. Some are from donors who are currently working with one of our affiliated Embryo Adoption organizations and wish to have the embryos stored with Rejoice while awaiting matching. Some are embryos previously donated to fertility clinics that are unable to provide matching services or were abandoned so the clinics have turned over the custodianship of these embryos to Rejoice for matching through our affiliated Embryo Adoption organizations. Lastly, some are from donors who have heard about the outstanding Donor Embryo pregnancy rates at Rejoice Fertility & Rejoice IVF Lab and want their embryos to have the best chance at life. Regardless of where they came from, we are happy to help be a part of their journey.
RER stores donated embryos FREE OF CHARGE. However, the free storage of embryos awaiting matching is only possible if the embryos were donated to RER or one of its affiliated Embryo Adoption agencies.
RER will charge recipient adopting families a small donor fee to help cover the staff and overhead needed for running the program. We are passionate about the lives of the embryos and want to help as many families as possible.
Yes, the consent of both parties is required unless you have a Divorce decree signed by a judge stating that you have legal custodianship of the embryos.
Yes, if you have the official death certificate.
No, human embryos cannot be bought or sold.
As Donating Parents, if you donate through RER you will not be responsible for the shipping fees to transport your embryos to Knoxville, or the storage of them once they get here but you will still be responsible for any handling fees that may be charged by the clinic where your embryos are currently stored well as any outstanding fees or past due balances related to prior storage at your previous clinic/storage facility.
Rejoice will not charge you any fees except if you change your mind after donation and request that Rejoice relinquish its rights to the embryos to make you the legal custodian again, or in the case of open donation, if you reject three (3) potential families within five (5) years.
Our name says it all…Rejoice Embryo RESCUE. We want to encourage patients to choose a life- affirming option when faced with the difficult decision to relinquish their embryos. Since economic concerns are often part of the decision, we wish to remove any economic barriers to patients placing their embryos up for adoption.
Yes, in fact it is recommended by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine that you take this step before embryo donation. You may do this counseling through any of our affiliates, and as a courtesy to our donors Lauren Wilson, LMSW has offered a discounted rate. Please contact her directly at lauren@flourishcs.com for more information.
Yes – you may see a copy of the consent form here: Link to Donation Consent
Once you have made the decision to start, you may follow this link to take you to the Prescreen Questionnaire on our database: Rejoice Embryo Rescue – Donor Questionnaire
Don’t see your question?
Email us at RER@rejoiceivf.com
Your embryos next chapter starts here
When you’re ready to move forward with donating your embryos you may follow the link below to begin.
**Please read the above FAQs before proceeding**