During your fertility journey you may hear about freezing embryos; especially if you’ll be undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This might take you aback and leave you wondering many intense questions, such as why do I need my embryos frozen? How are embryos frozen? What will that mean as far as getting pregnant? Is there any negative impact with a child that was born from a frozen embryo?

These are all good questions and each deserves a little extra attention. This way you can be empowered to make effective decisions during your infertility treatment. It will also give you a little extra peace-of-mind.

How are embryos frozen?

Before we go into each of these questions, let’s do a quick overview of how embryos are frozen. The process is called ‘vitrification’ which derives from the latin word ‘vitreum’ that means ‘glass’. Each embryo is quickly frozen in such a way that ice crystals can’t form and hurt the embryo. Then it’s placed in a secure tank and can be stored for years. Now to answer those burning questions from before.

Why are embryos frozen?

Patients freeze their embryos for several reasons. The simplest one is that some couples wish to defer pregnancy until they are at a more comfortable time in their lives. For example, patients who anticipate a decline in fertility potential either because of cancer treatment or aging may elect to undergo IVF specifically to freeze embryos.

Some couples may wish to do genetic testing on their embryos. Due to the time needed to get these results, the embryos must be frozen. For other couples, freezing embryos is necessary because it’s the safer route when a women experiences ovarian hyperstimulation.

Once these embryos are frozen, they can be stored for decades without any effect on a woman’s ability to achieve a pregnancy with them.

Which is more successful?

Outcomes such as pregnancy and live birth seem to be very similar between fresh and frozen transfers. Patients can also rest assured that there are no developmental differences in babies born from frozen embryos. In fact, thousands upon thousands of healthy babies have been born from frozen embryos. Furthermore, some recent studies suggest that frozen transfers may be better for some patients than others.

Therefore, it is essential that the decision to proceed with a fresh versus a frozen transfer be made after a careful discussion between you and your doctor. No matter what, the goal in each case is not only to get pregnant, but to have a healthy mother and healthy baby nine months down-the-line.

How much does it cost for a frozen embryo transfer (FET)?

If you’re searching for “how much does frozen embryo transfer cost” then chances are you will see a wide range in pricing. The price for frozen embryo transfer depends on several factors, and the experts at Genesis Fertility are here to help. Please contact us for more information about pricing.