NEWS RELEASE
Date: February 14,2005
CONTACT: Betsy Donnelly
Phone 913.236.7757
Email: Betsy22@aol.com

Cincinnati, OH– Valentine’s Day is a time to share with loved ones, but the day has extra special meaning for one Cincinnati area family. That’s because their Valentine came by special delivery – the result of successful embryo adoption.

Their baby boy was born in late January and weighed in at a healthy eight-plus pounds. His birth is the first embryo adoption facilitated through Embryos Alive, a Cincinnati-based adoption agency. Both he and mom are doing well, according to family members.

“ Bringing babies into families is always joyous – whether it’s through pregnancy or adoption,” says Bonnie Bernard, MS, executive director of Embryos Alive. “And in this case, his parents are celebrating both!”

Of course, this special Valentine had quite an incredible journey into this world. It began when his frozen embryo was thawed and implanted into the uterus of his adoptive mother. Fortunately, he survived the thawing process and the nine-month pregnancy. Unfortunately, only 50 percent of frozen embryos survive thawing, and of those who do, only 12-15 percent survive implantation.

With a three year old daughter of their own, the baby’s adoptive parents had tried unsuccesfully to bring a new younger brother or sister into their family. When they learned about the Embryos Alive adoption program, they jumped at the chance to both parent a child and experience a pregnancy.

Though they’ve chosen to remain anonymous at this time, these parents are eager to share their story and create awareness for this relatively new adoption option.

The new baby’s embryo was created three years ago when his donor parents themselves were experiencing infertility. In fact, their infertility treatments created an excess of embryos, which they later froze. Left with the decision to destroy the embryos – either intentionally or through medical research – they decided to give another couple a hopeful chance at parenthood.

“ This has been a true blessing for us,” the new mother said. “We encourage anyone who has experienced the heartache of infertility to consider embryo adoption. And to those couples who have surplus embryos due to successful pregnancy and birth, please consider donating these so that other waiting and hopeful parents can experience this joy.”

Embryo adoptions exist through the loving kindness of donor couples. Today, some 400,000 embryos are frozen in laboratories around the country awaiting a positive outcome. Multiple medical and personal screenings, as well as binding legal agreements between both parties make it a reality.

“ This is a story of two couples who really wanted to bring a child into the world and worked together to make it happen,” says Bernard. “Our special Valentine baby was truly born from love.”

And isn’t that what today is all about?

For more information about embryo adoptions, contact Embryos Alive at 513.793.1593 or visit their website, www.embryosalive.org.