Frozen ET

Frozen embryo transfer

A frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle involves thawing one or two embryos that were frozen during a previous treatment cycle and transferring them to the uterus to attempt to establish a pregnancy. This is a routine procedure.

A frozen embryo transfer is recommended in the following scenarios:

1. During a typical IVF or ICSI cycle, when the ovaries are stimulated and produce multiple eggs for insemination, resulting in the creation of several healthy embryos. In such cases, only one or two embryos are transferred to the uterus immediately, while the remaining embryos are frozen. These frozen embryos can be used in another IVF cycle if the initial transfer does not result in pregnancy, or at a later time to try for a sibling.
2. If the lining of the uterus has not developed to a suitable stage or if there is a risk of developing ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS), a woman undergoing IVF treatment may be advised to freeze all her embryos and not transfer any immediately.
3. It is increasingly common for fertility specialists to recommend freezing all of a patient’s embryos, as the more natural environment in the uterus during a later cycle may offer a better chance of establishing a pregnancy.
4. Freezing embryos is also an option for a woman who wants to postpone pregnancy until her late 30s or early 40s, but understands that her own eggs may not be suitable by then.

The program includes:

• Consultations of the reproductive specialist
• Stimulation protocol creation
• Thawing of embryos
• Cultivation of embryos
• Assisted hatching
• Embryo transfer
• Patient coordination and medical support from the first contact and up to 12 week of pregnancy