As many may know, November is National Adoption Awareness Month. There are a number of families across the country, including Alabama, that have adopted or are considering adopting a child. Many of these parents, or prospective parents, are only aware of a few of the options available to them through family law.

Embryo adoption may be a viable choice for some families. This option may allow couples that are having difficulty or are not able to conceive naturally to carry and give birth to a child. The process is also a much less expensive than in vitro fertilization because most of the costs involved in IVF have already been taken care of.

Once a couple has decided to go forward with the adoption, they are able to choose an embryo provided by donors. The donor couples are usually those that have previously gone through the in vitro fertilization process. They have the option to freeze any left-over embryos, and those embryos can be adopted by other potential parents. After choosing a donor, the embryos are implanted into the uterus through IVF.

Even though the child is not related by blood to the one who delivered him or her, it allows the person to experience both pregnancy and childbirth. For some couples, this may be the best way to start or expand a family. Speaking to a family law attorney may help couples in Alabama wishing to adopt a child to decide the best course of action. An attorney may also be able to help adoptive parents to negotiate the terms of an open adoption.

Source: sheknows.com, “Why Embryo Adoption Was the Best Option for This Family“, Elizabeth Yuko, Nov. 9, 2017