Embryos may remain in storage after a birth, an unsuccessful treatment plan or a decision not to continue. Their future should be governed by valid written instructions, clinic policy and applicable law—not an informal message to a coordinator.
Ask the storage clinic for a current inventory, storage agreement, fees, consent and disposition instructions. Confirm who has decision-making authority and which written form the clinic requires to continue storage, transfer embryos, use them in future treatment, donate where lawful or discontinue storage. Obtain clinic and legal advice before changing instructions across borders or between people.
Start with the clinic’s records
The current inventory, consent forms and storage terms show which embryos remain and who can give instructions. Intended parents should confirm those facts before discussing transport, future treatment, continued storage or another lawful disposition.
- Number and identity of embryos in storage
- Creation date, stage and available laboratory reports
- Gamete-source and consent records
- Named person or people with dispositional authority
- Current storage term, fees and arrears
- Existing instructions for death, separation or loss of contact
- Required form and notice period for any change
Separate the possible pathways
Each option has its own medical, consent, legal and financial consequences. Reviewing them separately helps the family make a deliberate decision after the immediate intensity of treatment, pregnancy or birth has passed.
| Pathway | Questions to confirm | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Continue storage | Term, fees, contact details and renewal | Storage is indefinite without payment or contact |
| Future treatment | Clinic acceptance, medical plan and updated consent | A stored embryo guarantees another transfer |
| Move storage | Release approval, receiving-clinic acceptance and transport | A courier alone can authorise movement |
| Donation or research | Whether lawful and what prior written consent is required | Silence means permission |
| End storage | Who may instruct it and the clinic’s documented process | A coordinator or one conflicted person can decide |
Keep contact and instructions current
ASRM ethics guidance recommends written clinic policies for retained and unclaimed embryos and written instructions from the people with dispositional control. Update contact information, respond to storage notices and revisit instructions after treatment or family-building plans change.
Do not use embryos without specific authority
A clinic should not assume that unclaimed embryos may be donated to another person or used in research without the required prior written consent. Cross-border storage adds the receiving clinic’s rules and applicable law, so obtain current advice rather than copying a form from another jurisdiction.
Record the final action
Keep the signed instruction, clinic acknowledgment, fee closure and any transport or disposition confirmation with the case records. Intended parents should know which organisation holds the authoritative record and how long supporting documents will be retained.
Embryos remain governed by consent after the journey ends
Embryos remaining in storage are not automatically transferred, discarded or donated when a surrogate pregnancy succeeds. The fertility clinic holds them under its consent forms, storage policy and the instructions of the people with decision-making authority. Intended parents should keep contact details current, understand storage fees and review what happens if instructions conflict, a relationship changes or the clinic cannot reach them.
The decision can involve future treatment, continued storage, lawful transport to another clinic, donation where permitted or disposition under the signed consent. It should not be rushed during the emotional and practical intensity after birth. Ask the clinic for a current inventory and copies of the governing forms, then obtain advice if the embryos cross borders or if the original consent no longer reflects the family’s circumstances. A coordinator can organise the review but cannot choose the outcome.
Embryo storage and transport questions in Tbilisi
IVF clinics in Tbilisi can maintain cryostorage, issue embryo inventories and laboratory summaries and, where their policies allow, coordinate release to an accepted receiving clinic. The family should ask the storage clinic for the exact embryo identifiers, stage, creation and freezing dates, gamete-source records, consent holders, storage term, current fees and the form required for any instruction. An invoice or coordinator’s message is not a substitute for the clinic’s acknowledged consent record.
For movement within Georgia or abroad, the receiving clinic should first confirm acceptance in writing and specify its required records and transport conditions. A specialist cryogenic courier can handle the physical shipment but cannot decide ownership, disposition or medical suitability. Keep the release approval, chain of custody, receiving confirmation and final storage balance together, and do not allow a successful birth or unpaid renewal notice to become an accidental decision about remaining embryos.
Questions people ask about Unused embryos
Clear answers for real decisions: what to prepare, who is responsible and what can change the plan.
Not necessarily. The clinic’s consents, gamete-source documents, applicable law and the people with recognised dispositional authority all need review.
No. Donation requires a lawful programme and specific informed consent; absence of contact is not permission.
Request a current inventory with embryo identifiers, stage, creation and freezing dates, available laboratory and gamete-source records, named consent holders, storage term, fees and the clinic form required for a change. Ask the clinic to acknowledge any new instruction in writing. A payment receipt, verbal promise or coordinator’s spreadsheet does not replace the authoritative laboratory and consent record.
Potentially, but the receiving clinic should first confirm acceptance, required records and transport conditions in writing. The storage clinic must approve release under its consent and legal process, and a specialist cryogenic courier handles the physical chain of custody. The courier does not decide ownership, medical suitability or whether cross-border movement and later treatment are lawful.
Clinic contracts normally set renewal, payment and notice terms, so intended parents should keep contact information current and answer notices promptly. Do not assume storage continues indefinitely or that non-payment authorises donation, research or use by another family. If the original consent no longer fits the family’s situation, seek clinic and legal advice while the embryos remain securely stored rather than waiting for a deadline.
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