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Fresh or Frozen Embryo Transfer – Comparing the Two

Should you consider a fresh or frozen embryo transfer?

Should you consider a fresh or frozen embryo transfer?Hopeful parents who visit our Virginia fertility center want the best chance of having a baby. Our team has years of experience performing scientifically tested methods of fertility treatment and researching new methods to boost fertility success. One question many patients have about IVF is whether fresh or frozen embryo transfer is more likely to be successful.

How a fresh or frozen embryo transfer works

The team at our Virginia fertility center helps patients make informed decisions about whether to consider a fresh or frozen embryo transfer. During a fresh embryo transfer, Fady Sharara MD transfers one IVF embryo to the hopeful mother’s or the surrogate’s uterus a few days after fertilization. With a frozen transfer, our embryology team first freezes an embryo before transferring it.

We use a fast-freezing process called vitrification to freeze embryos because it prevents damaging ice crystals from forming. The process of freezing embryos is as follows.

  • After an IVF cycle, we identify healthy embryos for transfer and storage. Our embryologist performs preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), if requested by patients.
  • Our lab team exposes the embryos that are intended for storage to cryoprotectants to prevent ice crystals from forming.
  • The team then quickly immerses the embryos in liquid nitrogen, which very rapidly freezes the embryos.
  • We store the embryos in a liquid-nitrogen cooled freezer, which maintains a temperature of -196°
  • When an embryo is ready for thawing and transfer, our lab team performs the thawing process.

Vitrification allows frozen embryos to develop into healthy pregnancies and babies just as successfully as fresh embryos. Whether performing a fresh or frozen embryo transfer, patients can feel confident in their chances of successful pregnancy.

Confidence through experience

Dr. Sharara leads our Virginia fertility center with decades of experience in the field. Our in-house laboratory, run by Chad Johnson, PhD, HCLD, benefits from Dr. Johnson’s years of experience. We are more than a full-service fertility clinic. We take a personal interest in our patient’s fertility journeys and we are rewarded with above average success rates.

For more information, or to begin your fertility journey, contact our office.

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