Any excess healthy embryos from the IVF process can be frozen, in case more than one treatment cycle is needed. Freezing embryos, also known as cryopreservation, takes place for some 60% of all patients having IVF treatment – and frozen embryo transfers accounts for around 50% of all IVF births in our program.
Why do we freeze embryos?
Embryo freezing gives you more opportunities for a pregnancy for each hormone stimulation cycle and egg collection.
During a typical IVF cycle, we’ll be able to create more than one embryo, however there are serious risks associated with multiple pregnancies, so generally we won’t transfer more than one embryo at a time.
For example, if we manage to obtain two or three normal embryos (this does not always happen) we’ll usually recommend transferring one, and freezing the others. If you do not become pregnant in that first cycle, we can transfer another embryo. This is called a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET), and means you won’t have to undergo another cycle of hormone stimulation and egg collection.
Once you have finished your IVF treatment, there are several options available to you. You may choose to store your embryos at an IVFAustralia facility, where they will be kept frozen in cryostorage until you decide to either use, donate or discard them. This service is available at an initial cost of $300, which includes a $100 freezing fee and a $200 fee covering the first six months of storage. Every subsequent six month period or part thereof, attracts a fee of $200.
Once you feel that your family is complete, and you have no further personal use for your frozen embryos, you may decide to donate them to another couple who are unable to conceive with their own embryos. Your specialist can discuss all your options with you.
Visit our embryo donation page to find out more...
How does embryo freezing work?
Embryos can be frozen from Day 2 (four cell stage) to Day 5 (Blastocyst). They are placed in thin plastic straws, sealed at both ends, and labelled with your name and identification number. They then go into a freezing machine, where the temperature rapidly drops to -150° Celsius. The straws are then placed in goblets, and put into tanks filled with liquid nitrogen, which keeps the temperature at -196° Celsius.
Success rates with frozen embryos
At IVFAustralia, many of our births, over many years, have come from the transfer of frozen and thawed embryos. On average the success rate is about 30%, but this mainly depends on the age of the woman’s eggs when the embryos are frozen.
So, if you were to freeze your embryos in your first IVF cycle at the age of 38, and then use them when you’re 42, your fertility chance will be relative to that of a 38-year-old woman rather than a 42-year-old.
Find out more about our fertility preservation program...
Contact us for more information about freezing embryos and embryo transfer...
