About the National Embryo Donation Center

The National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) at Knoxville's Baptist Hospital for Women is a non-profit organization assisting both embryo donors and recipients. When couples go through fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization, there is usually an excess of fertilized eggs (embryos) that are cryopreserved - frozen and stored for later use.

It is estimated that 400,000 human embryos are currently in cryopreservation in the United States. When the genetic parents decide that their family is complete and embryos are still available, they are faced with a dilemma: donating their embryos to research, thawing them and letting them die, or donating them to a couple who is unable to conceive. Many believe that embryo donation and adoption is the most life-honoring solution to this difficult choice.

The NEDC handles the medical, legal and social requirements of embryo donation. The Center offers a variety of placement options for couples considering donation of their cryopreserved embryos and also provides counseling for both donors and recipients. The NEDC is endorsed by the Christian Medical Association.

As of July, 2006, The NEDC has matched 71 genetic families (approximately 328 embryos) with 61 adoptive families. As a result, there have been 33 pregnancies with 41 babies being born or awaiting birth. The overall NEDC success rate is 54% (national average = 25% - 30%).

The National Embryo Donation Center Leadership

Dr. Jeffrey Keenan, a highly respected specialist in infertility and reproductive medicine, leads the NEDC team. He is the center’s medical director and a fertility specialist at the Southeastern Fertility Center in Knoxville, TN. He is boarded in Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Keenan is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and is director of the division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He has been in practice since 1990 and has performed innumerable fertility procedures with outstanding success rates.