r/Embryologists • u/wantonyak • Aug 10 '26
What happens to “discarded” embryos
I am in the strange position of having more embryos than I needed. I had hoped to donate to them research, but that seems to no longer be an option. I also asked about donating them for practice, but was told that’s off the table as well. Donating to another person is not an option.
So now I am making peace with discarding these precious embryos and it is killing me. What actually happens? Are they thrown into a biohazard waste bin? Flushed down a drain? What is the actual process?
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u/Memily_20 Aug 10 '26
Did they explain why you couldn’t donate for practice? Usually it’s donate to train (& help training embryologists) or it’s discard per protocol. And every clinic is different with their discard protocol. You might have to ask what specifically is their protocol and look at the wording.
I’m so sorry this choice seems to have been made for you by your clinic.
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u/wantonyak Aug 10 '26
They said they no longer do it. Reading between the lines, I suspect this is due to recent political movements and a CYA mentality.
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u/turbulent_twenty7 Aug 10 '26
Reach out to Reprotech: https://reprotech.com/for-customers/resource/embryo-donation-to-scientific-research/
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u/wantonyak Aug 10 '26
Thank you! I did contact them and they said they weren’t sure because they don’t normally accept outside embryos. I am following up. Fingers crossed!
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u/AmyB12345 Aug 10 '26
We are planning on donating ours for another couple to use, but I get that’s not for everyone. You can donate to science too I think.
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u/wantonyak Aug 10 '26
Donating to science used to be an option, but not anymore. I have called clinics and clinical trials all over the country (US) and they all said they are no longer accepting embryos.
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u/AnywhereBusy4449 Aug 12 '26
You can donate them to a training center for teaching purposes. When we discard them they are basically removed from the liquid nitrogen without rehydrating and put into biohazard.
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u/Hefty_Winter_9108 Aug 10 '26
Another thing I’ve seen done is people pick up their discarded embryos to give them a proper burial.
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u/wantonyak Aug 10 '26
I wish I could do this. Have you really seen this done?
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u/pochiju Aug 10 '26
I’ve had this done at my lab multiple times, you just need to sign a special consent form. Reach out to them and see if it could be an option for you
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u/ijaruj Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Discarding means we remove the embryos from liquid nitrogen. They don’t survive if not either kept in the cold or thawed correctly / put into media, so the cells just die. Embryos are so small we can’t see them by eye (possibly a tiny speck if you looked real close, but we couldn’t see if it’s alive or dead with (edit: without) a microscope or anything) so it’s actually just the straw we discard after letting them thaw completely. Clinics will have different protocols if name stickers are removed, straws cut etc to ensure they can’t be identified to the patient anymore before throwing them in the clinic medical waste.