Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer or another "Fresh" IVF Cycle?

This document will help you decide whether to have another IVF treatment cycle or use your cryopreserved embryos first.

• Timing:

   

  Your uterus does not "grow old" and neither do your stored embryos. Theoretically, there is no limit on how long you wait before using your cryopreserved embryos. The probability of a live birth remains unchanged. You must be 49 years or younger in order to have your embryos thawed and transferred at Bay IVF Center.

   

• Female Age:

   

  Please review the Aging and Female Fertility Potential. If your age is between 38 and 43, you may decide to do one or more additional “fresh” IVF cycles prior to using your cryopreserved embryos. At this age range, the decrease in your fertility potential during the time period it would take to do the Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer may become decisive if you did not conceive from your cryopreserved embryos and had to subsequently repeat the “fresh” IVF cycle.

   

  If you are younger than 38, you can typically try to conceive from your cryopreserved embryos first without the fear of losing significant fertility potential during the time it takes to complete the treatment.

   

  If you are older than 43, you should consider using your cryopreserved embryos since otherwise you will likely need the Egg Donation treatment to conceive successfully. The probability of a successful pregnancy from Egg Donation is independent on the embryo recipient’s age.

   

• Complexity:

   

  In the Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer treatment, the development of the uterine lining must be accurately synchronized with the development of your frozen/thawed embryos. This is achieved by taking estrogen and progesterone. This process is much less complex than having a “fresh” IVF cycle. Please review the Frozen Embryo Transfer Protocol for details of this treatment.

   

• Success Rates:

   

  As with “fresh” embryo transfer, the probability of a successful pregnancy with the frozen/thawed embryos depends on the number and the quality of the transferred embryos. Typically more than one half of the cryopreserved embryos survive the cryopreservation/thawing process. The implantation rate of the surviving embryos is similar to the "fresh" embryos.

   

  At the time of embryo cryopreservation, one to three embryos are stored in a straw. You will need to decide how many of your straws should be thawed. To maximize the probability of a live birth, many couples have all their straws thawed and transfer all their surviving embryos. As an alternative, you may decide on a number of embryos to be transferred. It is possible to thaw one straw at a time and keep thawing additional straws depending on the survival of the embryos until the desired number is reached. Since, typically, there are two embryos per straw, you could end up with one more surviving embryo than the number you wanted to transfer. You must decide and communicate to us which of the two thaw approaches we should use.

   

  There is no increased risk of birth defects with the Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer compared with conceptions conceived through intercourse or “fresh” IVF.

   

• Cost:

   

  The cost of a repeated IVF cycle is approximately the same as the cost of the original IVF treatment: $6,780 plus medications ($2,000 to $3,000 or more). The only prerequisite that needs to be repeated is the Ovarian Reserve Assay ($485).

   

  The cost of thawing one or more cryopreserved embryos, their subsequent culture, Assisted Hatching of embryo(s), the laboratory portion of embryo transfer, and preparation of your endometrial lining is $2,845 plus medications (approximately $600+).

   

• Getting Started:

   

  Once you decide which treatment you prefer, please call us on the first day of your menstrual period to schedule Ovarian Reserve Assay for IVF, or to schedule your Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer treatment.

If you have any questions regarding the decision between Cryopreserved Embryo Transfer and In Vitro Fertilization, please contact us by phone at 650-322-0500 or via email at care@BayIVF.com.