What is a frozen embryo transfer, or FET?

A frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle usually takes place in the next month during a woman’s menstrual cycle. This type of cycle include the following steps.

• The endometrial lining is first prepared with estrogen.
• You will start progesterone on a day that allows synchronization of the uterus with the frozen embryo.
• Our team thaws your embryos before the scheduled transfer.

Freezing embryos followed by an FET cycle provides an IVF patient with an ideal opportunity for a viable pregnancy.

For many patients, embryo cryopreservation can be an essential part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertility treatment process. Through cryopreservation, fertilized dividing embryos can be preserved for future use.

The benefits of FET

There are many benefits of embryo cryopreservation. When used as part of IVF, cryopreservation can increase the likelihood of achieving pregnancy for many patients. It also allows couples to continue to see their families grow as IVF cycles can be repeated, years later, from the same original group of eggs.

During an IVF cycle, between 10 and 30 eggs can typically be recovered from the ovary. While it is likely that not all of these eggs will be appropriate for cryopreservation, the process frequently allows couples to save a number of eggs for multiple conception attempts. In some cases, this can lead to successful treatment without the use of fertility drugs. It also reduces the likelihood that another egg retrieval procedure will be required. The number of embryos that we transfer depends on the number of eggs available, age, and other factors that are unique to each patient. In some cases, cryopreservation makes single embryo transfer a viable option.

Embryo cryopreservation also increases the likelihood of future pregnancy when conception otherwise might not be possible. With a cancer diagnosis, for instance, many women choose to preserve embryos prior to undergoing treatments that may affect fertility.

Vitrification for frozen embryo transfer

Vitrification (freezing) is the newest technique for freezing eggs or embryos used in IVF procedures. The latest advances in vitrification technology have allowed frozen embryo success rates to be almost as high as using fresh embryos.

Using vitrification, IVF patients can delay transfers into the future with results almost identical to a fresh embryo transfer. With advanced vitrification, we can space out transfers, giving every embryo a better possibility of creating a pregnancy. After freezing the embryos, we can schedule a frozen embryo transfer for another time in the future. Contact us to learn more.