Embryo freezing, or embryo cryopreservation, is a popular means of preserving your fertility. According to the HFEA’s Preliminary Trends and Figures Report 2022 the average IVF birth rate using frozen embryo transfers rose from 15% in 2012 to 30% in 2022.
Here, we’ll explore all you need to know about embryo freezing.
In this article:
- What is embryo freezing?
- How much does embryo freezing cost?
- Why freeze your embryos?
- Is embryo freezing safe?
- What to do with any remaining embryos?
What is embryo freezing?
Embryo freezing is a process which includes freezing and storing embryos to use in the future. People often freeze their embryos after going through fertility treatment, like IVF.
You must give permission to freeze your embryos, and provide the following details to your fertility clinic:
- How many embryos will be frozen and stored
- How long they will be stored for
- What happens when the storage time expires
- What happens if you die or become too ill to make decisions, whilst your embryos are stored
- If the embryos are to be only used for your fertility treatment, or can be donated
It’s possible to have your embryos frozen at different stages of their development, and they are frozen using a technique called fast freezing and stored in tanks of liquid nitrogen until you’re ready to use them.
How much does freezing your embryos cost?
Funding for embryo freezing and storage is available on the NHS, however, the conditions and access to funding are different depending on where you live.
The cost of embryo freezing varies from clinic-to-clinic, with prices ranging from around £400-£1500, sometimes with freezing and storage costs packaged together. However, this does not include thawing and transfer.
You can store your embryos for use in treatment for up 55 years from the date that the embryos are placed in storage. However, you will need to renew your consent every 10 years.
Why freeze your embryos?
You may want to investigate embryo freezing if:
- You want to delay fertility treatment to a later date
- Your treatment had to be postponed after egg collection
- You are being treated for or may need treatment for a medical condition that affects your fertility
Is embryo freezing safe?
Using frozen embryos in fertility treatment is just as safe as using fresh embryos in treatment. Unfortunately, in some cases, not all embryos may survive the freezing and thawing process.
What to do with any remaining embryos?
If you have any frozen embryos remaining, that you don’t want to use, there are several options available. You can:
- Donate them to another patient
- Donate them for medical training
- Donate them for research
- Dispose of them