Why Frozen Embryo Transfers are Becoming More Popular When Treating Infertility
Frozen embryo transfer is growing in popularity as a part of infertility treatment. There are many advantages of a frozen embryo transfer, which makes them an appealing way to decrease time to get pregnant and to preserve fertility.
Frozen Embryo Transfer Explained
When doing IVF treatment, there are two ways to use embryos. The first is a fresh embryo transfer. In this type of treatment, embryos are transferred during the same cycle they are fertilized. There is no waiting period once the embryos have been determined to be of high quality.
Frozen embryos have one distinct difference. As opposed to being implanted immediately, they are frozen using vitrification and stored until they are needed for an IVF cycle. The freezing process does not harm the eggs. Advancements in technology have increased the success rate for survival of the freezing and thawing process to 98%.
Use of Frozen Embryos
There are a number of reasons why using frozen embryos is ideal:
- Single Embryo Transfer – Many IVF protocols result in the creation of multiple embryos. However, many fertility experts recommend transferring a single embryo during a cycle. Research shows that transferring multiple embryos does not improve the likelihood of becoming pregnant. It does increase the likelihood of having a multiple pregnancy, which has a number of health risks for both mother and child.
- Staggered IVF – Staggered IVF has multiple IVF cycles run back to back where eggs are harvested and fertilized. The resulting embryos are then frozen so another retrieval cycle can be done. This protocol is ideal for an older woman who is concerned about egg quality in the future. By banking embryos now, she is more likely to be able to conceive when she’s ready.
- Traditional IVF – In traditional IVF treatment, large doses of fertility medication are used to promote the growth of a large number of eggs. It is often difficult to do a fresh embryo transfer because the uterine lining is often impacted by the medication as well.
- Fewer Retrieval Cycles – During IVF treatment, the most uncomfortable aspect is producing multiple eggs for retrieval. Having frozen embryos available reduces the number of cycles needed to retrieve, then fertilize, eggs.
To address your concerns about using frozen embryos, speak with your fertility care team.
The first step in determining the best way to treat your infertility concerns is to speak with a member of the New Hope Fertility Center team. Please click the link below to enter your information and New Hope will contact you, or simply call 212-517-7676. Thank you.
