An estimated 600,000 to 1 million frozen human embryos are in storage in the United States, waiting for possible transfer into the uteruses of women dealing with fertility issues.

Annika Hawkins was born from one of them nearly eight years ago, after Gina and Myles Yasuda of Pearl City decided to donate the “leftover” embryos from their in vitro fertilization procedure to a childless couple in New York.

“To trash the embryos seemed selfish,” said Gina Yasuda, 47. “Not everyone could understand my decision. But I have no regrets. This was part of God’s plan. Everyone is where they are supposed to be.”

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, donated embryos were used in 1,084 transfers in 2013, an increase from 596 in 2009.

The Hawaii and New York families were paired for embryo transfer by the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program, part of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a California agency that handles domestic and international child adoptions. (The program uses the term “snowflake babies” for children born from frozen embryos.)

Stephanie Hawkins, a 37-year-old speech pathologist, gave birth to Annika in the spring of 2009. The family, including dad Ben Hawkins, also 37, lives in western New York.

“We prayed about it and felt at peace with this type of adoption,” said Stephanie Hawkins. “There’s no guarantee that you’ll walk away with a baby in your arms. We were fortunate to get pregnant on the first try.”

Yasuda, who is the pro shop manager at Leeward Bowl, has four grown children from a prior marriage. She had not planned on having any more, so she decided to undergo a tubal ligation procedure in 1999 to prevent further pregnancies. When she remarried and the couple decided to have children, they went through the IVF process at Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute in Honolulu.

A needle was used to harvest microscopic eggs from Yasuda’s ovaries, and the eggs were then fertilized in the lab with her husband’s sperm. Seven fertilized eggs most likely to develop into a healthy baby were kept for embryo transfer.

Two freshly collected eggs were transferred to Yasuda’s uterus, resulting in the birth of son Zackary-Myles, now 13. A second son, Bryce, 11, was born from a frozen embryo that had been kept in storage for two years.

“There’s no guarantee that the embryos will survive the defrosting process. It’s a miracle in itself,” said Gina Yasuda.

The IVF clinic gave the Yasudas an option of donating the remaining embryos to an infertile couple, donating them to embryonic stem cell research or destroying them. They decided to donate them to another couple.

The Yasudas searched for couples using profiles posted on the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program website. The program, which does not provide medical services, charges $8,000 to couples seeking embryos, which includes shipping and storage of embryos and mediation of family communications.

“They had to be OK to having a half Japanese baby. My husband is Japanese and I’m Filipino and Italian,” said Yasuda.

The Yasudas felt the Hawkinses were a great fit because they had worked as missionaries in Tokyo and were familiar with Japanese culture.

Since Annika was born, the two families have been communicating regularly, exchanging emails and photographs.

“It’s so nice to read emails about her personality; she’s a little Miss Aloha,” Yasuda said. “She’s the youngest greeter at their church. My whole family wants to see her grow up.”

Gina Yasuda attended Annika’s second-birthday celebration in New York. “It was really good to see how much they love this little girl,” she said. “And she loves them so much, too.”

Although the Hawaii couple used the Snowflake program, Hawaii International Child, which handles child adoptions, also has an embryo matching service (adoptionhawaii.org or call 589-2367), as do local fertility clinics.

For information on the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program, click here.

“Be Well” spotlights health and fitness topics and activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.