Embryo Freezing

The major difference between embryo freezing and egg freezing is whether the eggs are “combined” with sperm after or before they are frozen. When you are freezing embryos, you have to know the would-be father as his sperm would be used to fertilize the eggs prior to freezing. On the contrary, you can have your eggs frozen without sperm (they are going to be fertilized when you undergo IVF). Embryo freezing also allows you to know the number of eggs that were healthy enough to be fertilized, which you won’t know when you are just freezing your eggs.
So which of these options is best for you? Embryo freezing can be difficult for women without a partner since you need someone to donate the sperm that will be used for fertilization of the eggs (note that you can also freeze your embryos with donor sperm). Generally, freezing of embryos is better for partners who want to have children together but want to delay baby-making because of their career, education, illness, family issues, etc. We recommend you to schedule consultation so our fertility doctor can discuss what option may be the best for you depending on your fertility, age and situation you are in.

Embryo freezing has a pretty impressive success rate. Approximately 95 percent of frozen embryos survive this freezing. As a matter of fact, frozen embryos have a higher success rate than fresh ones when it comes to resulting in a pregnancy.

The side effects or complications of embryo freezing often occur during the egg retrieval process. Most of the side effects of egg extraction are mild and temporary. Some of them are:
• Bleeding
• Bloating or cramping
• Feeling full
• Infection
• Changes in vaginal discharge
• Overstimulation of the ovaries

Normally, the standard storage period for embryos is 10 years. However, women dealing with some issues can have their embryos stored for up to 55 years. Your doctor will let you know if you can do this.

You or your partner can withdraw consent at any time before the frozen embryos are used for fertility treatment or research. If your spouse withdraws their consent, you won’t be able to use the embryos to try for pregnancy.
If your partner withdraws his/her consent (be it the person who donated the sperm or the eggs), you may get a “cooling off” period of up to 12 months. If after this period your partner still don’t want the frozen embryos used, they are going to be removed from storage and left to perish.

The procedure for using your embryos varies based on your fertility clinic and your individual circumstances.
The first steps depend on whether or not you have regular ovulation. If your menstruations are regular, your physician may recommend that you undergo the embryo transfer without using any fertility medications. In a case like this, ultrasound scans may be performed to check your endometrium (the lining of the uterus). Blood or urine tests may then be carried out to check when you are ovulating, which shows that your womb lining will be ready for the embryo.
If your menstruations are not regular or you don’t menstruate at all, your physician may recommend that you take drugs to induce your natural cycle and cause a “fake” period. Then, you are administered medication to help ready the lining of your womb for the embryo.
At the appropriate time, the clinic’s embryologists will thaw the embryos and transfer one or more of them into your uterus (in cases where the patient is above 40, three embryos may be transferred).

You can trash them or give them out (to another person or for use in medical research or training). In either case, you and your spouse or donor (if applicable) will have to provide your consent in writing. Your fertility clinic should give you the necessary forms.
Donate them to another person: Gift another family or individual the most valuable gift by giving them your unused embryos.
Donate them to research: Medical research on embryos, eggs, and sperms helps scientists understand the root causes of infertility and create effective treatments.
Donate them to training: Students training to become embryologists need biological material to practice techniques like removing embryo cells and mastering the embryo freezing or thawing process.
Discard them: Instead of donating embryos, some people prefer to trash them. Embryos that are not needed anymore are removed from storage and left to perish in water or warmer.

A precise inventory is maintained for all embryos in storage by our laboratory staff. Patients with embryos in storage are billed monthly. Please make sure to notify us of changes to your address, email or credit card.