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Embryo Donor Agreements

Embryologist Adding Sperm to Egg

Who might need embryo donation?

  • A single person

  • An opposite-sex couple in which either person has a fertility issue

  • An opposite-sex couple in which one of the spouses is transgender

  • A same-sex lesbian couple

  • A same-sex gay couple, with a gestational carrier 

 

Who has embryos to donate?

  • Couples that went through IVF (in vitro fertilization), and have extra frozen (cryopreserved) embryos, and are willing to help out others start a family.

  • Estate Trustees administering an Estate that has cryopreserved embryos.

 

Embryo donation FAQ

Q: What is embryo donation?
A: The contribution, by a third party, of fertilized eggs for the purpose of assisted reproduction.

 

Q: How does an embryo donation get arranged?
A:  Through a fertility clinic.

 

Q: Are embryo donors anonymous?
A: Embryo donors can be either anonymous or known to the person(s) contracting for the sperm donation.

 

Q: Is embryo donation legal in Canada?
A: Embryo donation is legal in Canada.

 

Q: I want to get paid for donating my embryos. How do I arrange this.
A: Paying, offering to pay, or advertising payment for embryo donation is illegal in Canada.

Embryo donation may pose challenges if there is a need to seek a declaration of parentage. Ontario case law on declarations of parentage consider whether the intended parent is genetically linked to the child.

 

Embryo donation in the media​

  • "We gave them our leftover frozen embryos. Now we're a family.​" Maclean's. Joanna Long October 1, 2021. 

    • Synopsis​: After successfully creating their own family through IVF,  Joanna Long wrestled with the question, what to do with the other frozen embryos.  The article explores the various options available to people in her situation, but opted to be known embryo donor (as opposed to an anonymous embryo donor), and the joy it has brought her having this new "extended" family, so to speak.  

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