A frozen embryo transfer (FET) is a procedure to warm embryos from a previous
IVF treatment and transfer them to your uterus. We may recommend FET if you
have preserved embryos and wish to get pregnant again, or if you had an
unsuccessful IVF cycle.
Embryo Freezing: Why Choose Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health?
At Penn Fertility Care - Lancaster General Health, we offer:
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Lancaster County's only embryology lab: We are the only fertility clinic in
the area with an in-house embryology lab, making us uniquely qualified to
offer embryo freezing, storage and transfers. Your
embryos stay preserved in our secure lab until you're ready to use them.
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Specialty expertise: Experienced embryologists work with our
fellowship-trained reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist to
deliver your care. Our team selects the highest quality frozen embryos for
warming and transfer. We also time your FET procedure carefully to optimize
the chances of success.
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Advanced techniques: We use a process called vitrification to rapidly freeze
embryos. Vitrification is safer and more effective than the traditional
slow-freezing technique. We also offer assisted hatching for frozen embryo
transfers, which can help the transferred embryo implant in the uterus.
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Personalized care: Our range of fertility treatments, including FET, means
we can build a care plan tailored to your unique medical needs, reproductive
goals and timeline. Whether you're ready for pregnancy now, or you want to
preserve your fertility for years down the line, we're here to make it
happen.
Is a Frozen Embryo Transfer Right for Me?
We may recommend embryo freezing and transfer in a variety of scenarios:
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Fertility preservation: We can harvest and fertilize your eggs now (using
your partner's sperm or donor sperm) and save the embryos so you can get
pregnant at a later time. You may choose to preserve your fertility if
you're concerned about aging, are about to undergo cancer treatment or
simply aren't ready for kids.
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Multiple embryos: We may fertilize multiple eggs during an IVF cycle, but
only transfer one or two of the embryos. If you have leftover embryos, we
freeze them for future use so you don't need to go through a full IVF cycle
again.
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Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS): Some women get swollen, painful
ovaries and a range of other symptoms while taking hormones during
controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. In these cases, we usually recommend
freezing embryos until the symptoms of OHSS go away.
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Preimplantation genetic testing: Embryos must be frozen prior to
preimplantation genetic testing, which tests them for chromosomal or genetic
abnormalities. Fresh embryos can't stay viable for as long as it takes to
perform the tests and get results.
Frozen Embryo Transfer: Timeline and What to Expect
During the FET process, you can expect:
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Medication: You will take estrogen injections to thicken your uterine
lining for 15 to 22 days prior to your transfer date. Once the lining is thick
enough, we will start progesterone to make the lining ready for implantation.
You will take progesterone as a pill or injection on day 5 to 6 to prepare
your uterus for the warmed embryo. After your transfer, we explain if and for
how long you should continue taking medication.
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Monitoring: We do imaging exams and blood tests in our clinic while you
take medication to check your hormone levels, uterus and ovaries.
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Transfer: We carefully warm the highest-quality embryo in our lab on the
day of the transfer. Using an ultrasound-guided to place the catheter, we
transfer the embryo to your uterus. The procedure only lasts a few minutes.
You don't need sedation.
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Pregnancy test: Wait two weeks after your procedure to take a pregnancy
test.
What Are the Benefits of a Frozen Embryo Transfer?
Benefits of a frozen embryo transfer include:
- Doesn't require an egg retrieval procedure
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Flexible timing since you can choose your transfer dates months in advance
- Less expensive than a full IVF cycle with a fresh embryo
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Less medication and monitoring than a full IVF cycle with a fresh embryo
Are Frozen Embryo Transfer Success Rates Similar to Those of Fresh Transfers?
There's no significant difference between the success rates of fresh and
frozen embryo transfers. For some women, frozen transfers are more effective;
others have more success with fresh transfers. A successful pregnancy with IVF
depends on many factors, including a woman's age, her hormone levels at the
time of transfer, and her overall health.
How Do You Freeze Embryos?
We use an advanced flash-freezing technique called vitrification to
cryopreserve embryos, eggs and sperm. Vitrification is different than the
traditional slow-freezing process, which creates ice crystals that can damage
delicate tissues. Instead, we freeze embryos rapidly in a special substance
that removes all of their water to prevent ice crystals from forming.
Vitrification can preserve specimens indefinitely.
What Is Assisted Hatching?
Embryos have an outer shell called the zona pellucida. Once in the uterus, the
embryo hatches out of this shell before implanting in the uterine wall. Frozen
embryos can develop a thicker, harder zona pellucida that makes hatching more
difficult. We offer laser-assisted hatching, which is an advanced technique to
gently open the zona pellucida to help the embryo break out.
How Much Does a Frozen Embryo Transfer Cost?
The cost of a frozen embryo transfer varies. It depends on the cost of your
medication, how long you store the embryos, whether you're using donor eggs
and if you have the embryos genetically tested.
Make an Appointment
Call 717-544-0107 or request an appointment to schedule your fertility
consultation.