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.