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The National Embryo Donation Center at Knoxville’s Baptist Hospital
for Women is a nonprofit center assisting both embryo donors and recipients.
The Center handles the medical, legal, and social requirements of embryo
donation and adoption. Offering a variety of placement options for couples,
the NEDC works with an experienced adoption agency to ensure appropriate
screening and to assist you with your decisions. Other important elements
provided by the NEDC include education and counseling for both donors
and recipients. The Center is endorsed by the Christian Medical Association.
 Dr.
Jeffrey Keenan, a highly respected specialist in infertility and reproductive
medicine, leads the NEDC team. He is the center’s medical director
and a fertility specialist at the Southeastern Fertility Center in Knoxville,
TN. He is boarded in Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as Reproductive
Endocrinology and Infertility. He is an associate professor at the University
of Tennessee College of Medicine, and is the director of the Division
of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Keenan graduated with
honors from Jefferson Medical College, completed an internship at Mercy
Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, residency at Vanderbilt University Medical
Center in Nashville, TN, and fellowship at Hutzel Hospital/Wayne State
University in Detroit, MI. He is a member of the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology,
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Christian
Medical & Dental Associations. He has been in practice since 1990
and has performed innumerable fertility procedures with outstanding success
rates.
Why choose embryo adoption?
Infertility makes a couple feel lonely, empty and incomplete.
The joy of having a child is like no other experience in life, fulfilling
the heart’s deepest desire.
Who can adopt?
We work hard to assure that embryos are placed in good
homes. The adopting mother must be healthy and able to carry a child to
term. The adopting family must be a married couple that has successfully
completed a comprehensive evaluation and education process. Our staff
will help prepare you for the exciting journey ahead. Once more embryos
are available for adoption, we hope to be able to offer these services
to a wider variety of couples.
Will
I need to travel?
Candidates will need two or more visits to the NEDC. There
will be an initial screening visit and exam, and a second appointment
for the actual embryo transfer. Monitoring prior to transfer is often
arranged at a local clinic in your home area. If pregnancy does not occur
after the first attempt, further visits may be required.
Why
is screening necessary?
We do a comprehensive evaluation and test for certain
diseases to insure the best conditions for successful implantation and
a healthy pregnancy.
Will
the genetic parents be aware of our identity, or of the child if we are
successful?
That depends. We offer both anonymous and "open"
adoptions. Your chances of being accepted as the adoptive parents will
be greater if you agree to various options. Our counselors will help you
select the options that are best for you.
Is
this really adoption?
Based on current law, adoption only refers to the placement
of a child after birth. Therefore, instead of using adoption laws, legal
agreements are used to govern the process of embryo adoption. But be assured
that your relationship with the child is just as binding as an adoption.
In addition, with embryo adoption, you will be the parents cited on the
birth certificate.
Can genetic parents change their minds and get
the child?
Under current law, once the embryos have been transferred,
the genetic parents have no legal claim to any resultant children. The
contract agreement and relinquishment forms are legally binding between
the two families.
Can
embryo adoption lead to infections in the mother?
The genetic parents undergo health histories and disease
screening prior to retrieving the sperm and eggs to create their embryos.
In addition, an attempt is made to re-screen the genetic parents at the
time of donation of their embryos. This makes embryo adoption as safe
as technically possible.
Does
this technique cause birth defects?
Birth defects are no more common with this technique than
with standard in vitro fertilization, and are predicted to be no greater
than in the general population.
 What
are my chances of pregnancy?
The chance of pregnancy after transfer of frozen embryos
is currently 20-25%. However, only about two-thirds of embryos survive
the thawing process, and therefore transfers cannot always be performed
as planned.
How many
embryos will be transferred to my uterus?
Usually, two to four embryos are thawed for each transfer cycle. All embryos
that survive the thawing process are transferred.
Is
there a chance for multiple births?
Multiple births are much less common with frozen embryo
transfers than with non-frozen ('fresh') embryo transfers. We limit the
number of embryos transferred but there is no guarantee that you will
not have multiple births. Your options to control this will be discussed
during counseling.
How
many attempts can I have to become pregnant?
Currently, a maximum of three embryo transfers will be
allowed for each patient accepted into the program.
What
are the costs?
Costs vary depending upon the costs incurred in
obtaining the embryos. However, the total expenses should average
about one-third the cost of a standard in vitro fertilization
cycle. For an estimate of the costs involved, please view the
NEDC Fee Schedule
(Acrobat PDF).
What
is the first step?
Call the National Embryo Donation Center toll free at
1-866-585-8549. If we are unavailable to speak with you at the time of
your call, leave your contact information and we will call you back. The
competent and compassionate staff of the National Embryo Donation Center
are eager to work with you to achieve your dream of a family. The next
step is yours.
Please visit our
Common Questions page for further information
on embryo donation and adoption.
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A
Chance for Young Lives...
