Embryo freezing

Embryo cryopreservation, also known as embryo freezing, preserves fertilized eggs. The process helps you preserve your fertility and possibly become a parent later in life. Your frozen embryos can be thawed and used for pregnancy when you're ready.

Penn Medicine embryologists (embryo specialists) use flash-freezing, or vitrification, to preserve embryos. The advanced technique is more effective than traditional slow freezing and reduces the chance of embryo damage.

Frozen embryos are stored in a secure lab until you want to use them. We handle your embryos carefully and store them in our embryology lab, which is equipped with 24/7 security and backup generators.

After undergoing ovulation induction, your doctor removes mature eggs from your ovaries during a minor procedure. We fertilize the eggs in a laboratory with your partner's or donor's sperm.

Our team closely monitors the eggs for several days. Once we see signs of fertilization, we freeze the highest-quality embryos. When you're ready, we safely thaw the embryos and transfer them to your uterus.

The cost of embryo freezing varies. Our financial advocates help you understand the cost of treatment and connect you with resources to help you manage the expense.

Factors that can influence the cost of embryo freezing include:

• Health insurance coverage
• Number of embryos stored
• How long embryos are stored
• Fertilization method
• Medications taken during ovulation induction

Everyone has unique reasons for pursuing fertility preservation treatments, like embryo freezing. Your team of Penn Medicine reproductive endocrinologists and infertility specialists takes time to listen to your needs and goals. We help you decide if embryo freezing should be part of your fertility preservation care plan.

Reasons to consider embryo freezing include:

• Age: Eggs are usually healthiest in your 20s and early 30s. But you may not be ready for parenthood during that time. Embryo freezing lets you delay pregnancy and preserve healthy embryos for the future.
• Cancer diagnosis: Chemotherapy and other cancer treatments can affect your fertility. We partner with your oncologist to create a fertility preservation plan that gives you the option to have children in the future.
• Gender transition: Transgender individuals may consider embryo freezing before starting hormone therapy or undergoing gender-affirming procedures. Our team offers fertility preservation options and LGBTQ+ family-building services.
• Multiple embryos: Embryo freezing is often used with in vitro fertilization (IVF) or INVOcell® when several healthy embryos form. One or two embryos are transferred to your uterus to grow. The other embryos can be frozen and used for a future transfer.
• Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT): You may choose to have us test your embryos for genetic abnormalities using preimplantation genetic testing. After testing, we freeze your embryos while we wait to receive the test results.

Our fertility preservation specialists speak with you about the risks and benefits of embryo freezing. There’s no known risk to children born from frozen embryos. Risks to the embryo include damage during freezing or thawing.

You may have side effects of the fertility drugs you take before your egg-retrieval procedure. Common side effects include abdominal pain and bloating, nausea, and headaches.

You may also experience some vaginal discomfort, cramping, and spotting for a few hours after the egg-retrieval process. 

Success rates of frozen embryo transfers 

IVF success rates with fresh embryos are similar to IVF with frozen embryos. However, many factors can impact a successful pregnancy after a frozen embryo transfer, including age, health, and hormone levels.

Successful embryo freezing takes a team of skilled embryologists and experienced fertility care providers. At Penn Medicine, we use the latest reproductive technologies to safely preserve your high-quality embryos and prepare them for transfer when you’re ready.

We also offer comprehensive third-party reproductive services to help couples and individuals build families. If you decide not to use your frozen embryos, you can anonymously donate them to help others become parents. We walk you through the embryo donation process and answer any questions you have.