How FET Can Improve Your IVF Pregnancy Success Chances

Freezing excess, quality embryos after a fresh IVF cycle will increase a couple’s chances of conceiving in the future. This is not even the best part. Through embryo cryopreservation technology, couples can avoid the financial and physical strain of undergoing multiple fresh IVF cycles. That’s not all. The pregnancy success rate for a Frozen Embryo Transfers (FET) is higher than a fresh transfer because a woman has the opportunity to wait until her uterine lining returns to an ideal state for embryo implantation.

Benefits of the Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)

Through Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET), couples can try again – sooner than later – if their fresh IVF cycle fails. If the fresh IVF cycle is successful, the couple can undergo a FET at a time when they decide to have more children in the future.

Bonus Benefits of FET

• Couples can plan their family through gender selection
• Couples increase their chances for a healthy singleton pregnancy
• Healthy pregnancies have been achieved after an embryo has been frozen for up to 10 years

By utilizing world class laboratory technology, New Hope Fertility Center’s pregnancy success rates through FET has increased substantially in recent years. That’s not all. Only high quality embryos are cryopreserve to be later transferred in future FET procedures. This success rate has made FETs an increasingly popular option to consider before considering a subsequent fresh IVF cycle. Bottom Line: With FET, couples can increase their chance of pregnancy per fresh egg retrieval and ultimately save money by avoiding the expense of another fresh IVF cycle.

Frozen Embryo Transfer Procedure

To begin the FET procedure, hormone medication is administered to suppress the woman’s pituitary gland and reduce the chances of unexpected ovulation. Estrogen acts to thicken and mature the uterine lining – like the natural estrogen produced by a developing egg follicle during a normal menstrual cycle.

During estrogen administration, monitoring of the uterine lining is required.

• Transvaginal ultrasound for the doctor to evaluate the thickness of the uterine lining
• Blood tests for the doctor to evaluate the level of estrogen in the blood

Double Benefit of FET: Monitoring for timing of transfer during a FET cycle is more flexible than in a fresh IVF cycle. The FET procedure is much less stressful on patients because the transfer date can be adjusted.

Progesterone is a medication administered in preparation for the FET to make the uterine lining receptive to the implantation of the embryo.

• Progesterone matures the uterine lining
• Progesterone creates a window of implantation in anticipation of a set FET date
• Lupron injections are ceased upon the beginning of progesterone administration
• Embryos are scheduled for thaw in the laboratory
• FET is scheduled on a set date
• Progesterone is continued daily to help prepare the patient’s uterine lining for implantation of the fertilized egg – the embryo
• After the embryo transfer, a pregnancy test is scheduled on a date prescribed by the doctor through a blood draw

Healthy pregnancies have been achieved after an embryo has been frozen for up to 10 years. Pregnancy success through FETs is determined by the quality of the frozen embryo.

Single Embryo Transfers

Dr. John Zhang – founder of New Hope Fertility Center – promotes the practice of Single Embryo Transfer (SET) to reduce health risks associated with multiple pregnancies and births. Cryopreservation of surplus embryos for future FET procedures is encouraged by the Doctor – in lieu of repeated, expensive fresh IVF cycles.

Pioneering Vitrification Method of Freezing Embryos

The flash-freezing technique of vitrification makes it possible to ready fresh embryos rapidly for cryopreservation. Using the vitrification method, embryos freeze quickly and damaging ice crystals do not form between cells. New Hope Fertility Center is a leader in embryo freezing. Dr. John Zhang was one of the first doctors in the United States to implement the vitrification method of embryo freezing.

It is important to work with a fertility doctor having the experience required to design a customized IVF and FET treatment plan meeting your personal and medical needs. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center, call 917.525.5496.