{"id":106538,"date":"2021-06-11T08:38:30","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T06:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/?p=106538"},"modified":"2022-04-12T17:35:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T15:35:15","slug":"ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to know about IVF frozen embryo transfer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At IVI we are frequently asked questions about the <strong>differences between frozen and \u2018fresh\u2019 embryos <\/strong>as part of the process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Patients want to know whether to expect the signs and symptoms of pregnancy following the transfer of a frozen embryo to be any different.<\/p>\n<p>In this IVI blog article, we take a look at the implications of frozen embryo use. Why are frozen embryos created in the first place? When and why are they likely to be used? Is the resulting pregnancy success rate any different? As for the test, is a <strong>pregnancy test after IVF frozen embryo transfer<\/strong> any different from the test following any other IVF procedure? Read on for all you need to know about frozen embryo transfer and the subsequent pregnancy test.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#Why_do_we_need_frozen_embryos\" title=\"Why do we need frozen embryos?\">Why do we need frozen embryos?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#Egg_quality\" title=\"Egg quality\">Egg quality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#The_time_taken_by_fertility_treatment\" title=\"The time taken by fertility treatment\">The time taken by fertility treatment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#When_are_frozen_embryos_used\" title=\"When are frozen embryos used?\">When are frozen embryos used?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#Extending_your_family\" title=\"Extending your family\">Extending your family<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#What_are_the_success_rates_for_fresh_and_frozen_embryos\" title=\"What are the success rates for fresh and frozen embryos?\">What are the success rates for fresh and frozen embryos?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#What_about_the_pregnancy_test_after_frozen_embryo_transfer\" title=\"What about the pregnancy test after frozen embryo transfer?\">What about the pregnancy test after frozen embryo transfer?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/#Contacting_us_at_IVI\" title=\"Contacting us at IVI\">Contacting us at IVI<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_we_need_frozen_embryos\"><\/span>Why do we need frozen embryos?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When a woman who needs fertility treatment goes through a cycle of IVF, it involves a period of hormonal medication that stimulates the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These are fertilised in the laboratory as part of the normal IVF process. This naturally results in the existence, if there are enough good-quality eggs, of several embryos. Why not just one?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Egg_quality\"><\/span><strong>Egg quality <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s well known that the quality of your eggs declines with age, regardless of how fit and healthy you are. It\u2019s also a fact of life that for many women, by the time they have tried to conceive for a while, sometimes for many years, and decide to opt for fertility treatment, they can be approaching the age where egg quality starts to decline. The fact that we obtain several embryos in just one treatment would increase the number of attempts and the probabilities of getting pregnant. The surplus embryos are frozen in order to improve these pregnancy rates<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_time_taken_by_fertility_treatment\"><\/span><strong>The time taken by fertility treatment<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The most time-consuming aspect of IVF fertility treatment by far is the ovarian stimulation phase. It can take anything from 10 to 15 days. It\u2019s therefore a bonus if, in the event of a single embryo transfer failing to result in a pregnancy, we have \u2018spare\u2019 frozen embryos in reserve. The patient, when she feels ready, can opt for another attempt. In this case she can use a previously frozen embryo, without needing to go through the stimulation phase a second time.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_are_frozen_embryos_used\"><\/span>When are frozen embryos used?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We have seen that one of the major reasons for using a frozen embryo is in the event of an unsuccessful IVF attempt. But there are other advantages too.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Extending_your_family\"><\/span><strong>Extending your family<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Maybe you have been doubly fortunate. That is, you got a successful pregnancy after IVF and you also have spare good-quality embryos. These can be used at a later time if and when you wish to extend your family. There are some big advantages here.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You avoid having to go through the ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval phase of IVF. So you can move straight to the embryo transfer stage, using your own frozen embryo. This takes off the pressure some patients may feel to start a new cycle quickly after a failed treatment, because time is not on their side. With the \u2018safety net\u2019 of some stored frozen embryos, a woman can take all the time she needs to recover, both physically and emotionally, before a new attempt.<\/li>\n<li>The frozen embryos remain at the same \u2018age\u2019 they were when fertilised. Even after an extended period, up to 10 years, you can decide when the time is right for you and your family to have another child. You don\u2019t need to be limited by the biological clock that makes a natural pregnancy increasingly unlikely after the age of around 38 to 40. If you were 35 when your embryos were frozen, that\u2019s how they remain, no matter the age of your uterus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_success_rates_for_fresh_and_frozen_embryos\"><\/span>What are the success rates for fresh and frozen embryos?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Pregnancy success rates between fresh and frozen embryo transfer do not differ significantly. This was not always the case, but improvements in the cryopreservation of embryos and their methods of storage mean that in our clinics at IVI, 95% of embryos survive the thawing process and are suitable for transfer.<\/p>\n<p>At IVI we have very high success rates, with an overall success rate of 95% for IVF. This is the cumulative figure for three attempts and includes both frozen and fresh embryo transfer. We publish <a href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/faqs\/success-rates\/\">our success rates<\/a> in detail, so you can analyse results by type of fertility treatment, as well as other factors such as the age of the patient.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_about_the_pregnancy_test_after_frozen_embryo_transfer\"><\/span>What about the pregnancy test after frozen embryo transfer?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There may be several <strong>differences between fresh and frozen embryo<\/strong> transfer, but this is not one of them. The <strong>pregnancy test after an IVF frozen embryo transfer<\/strong> is identical to the test following any IVF procedure. Following embryo transfer, a few things need to happen, regardless of whether the embryo is fresh or frozen.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The embryo needs to implant in the lining of the womb. This takes the same few days whether your conception is natural or the result of IVF using a fresh or frozen embryo. The implantation can be accompanied by <a href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/menstruation-vs-implantation-bleeding\/\">slight spotting or cramping<\/a>. But these symptoms cannot be taken as a sure sign of pregnancy. When you have had an assisted reproduction treatment, they could be the result of progesterone supplements. These are a necessary part of the treatment.<\/li>\n<li>After implantation, the embryo starts to secrete the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Its levels steadily increase in the early weeks. This is the hormone that normal home pregnancy tests measure in the urine. However, your hormone levels can be affected by the hormonal medication needed. Even though the medication protocol used for a frozen embryo transfer would be different from that used in a fresh IVF cycle. For this reason, a home kit can be unreliable and so it\u2019s essential to have a blood test carried out by a qualified and experienced gynaecologist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contacting_us_at_IVI\"><\/span>Contacting us at IVI<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to know more about how a frozen embryo transfer may be able to help in your fertility journey, do get in touch. You can use our <a href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/ask-for-an-appointment\/\">online contact form<\/a>, or watch our video to get an idea of what to expect from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RIPP7x1c5Z0&amp;t=1s\">your first visit to IVI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At IVI we are frequently asked questions about the differences between frozen and \u2018fresh\u2019 embryos as part of the process of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Patients want to know whether to expect the signs and symptoms of pregnancy following the transfer of a frozen embryo to be any different. In this IVI blog article, we&#8230; <a class=\"view-article\" href=\"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/ivf-frozen-embryo-transfer\/\">View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":106540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[163,218,64,167],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>IVF: Are there differences between &quot;fresh&quot; and frozen embryos transfer?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When are frozen embryos likely to be used? Is the resulting pregnancy success rate any different? 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