Embryo Freezing & Cryopreservation

Embryo freezing is a process similar to egg freezing, with one key difference: the eggs are fertilized with sperm to create embryos before being frozen. This option is ideal for patients who have a chosen reproductive partner and wish to preserve their future family-building potential, or for individuals planning to use donor sperm as part of their fertility journey.

Process:

• Ovarian Stimulation: Medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs.

• Egg Retrieval: The eggs are collected from the ovaries through a minor outpatient procedure.

• Fertilization: Retrieved eggs are fertilized with sperm in the lab to create embryos.

• Vitrification: High-quality embryos are flash-frozen using a rapid freezing technique to preserve them for future use.

Purpose:

• Fertility Preservation: Offers individuals or couples the ability to preserve fertility before undergoing medical treatments that may affect reproductive health.

• Family Planning Flexibility: Allows patients to delay parenthood while preserving the potential for future pregnancy using embryos created at a younger age.

• Support for IVF: Enables couples undergoing IVF to store additional embryos for future use, whether for a sibling journey or additional attempts at pregnancy.

Storage:

• Embryos can remain frozen for years without significant decline in viability.

• Vitrification (flash freezing) enhances survival rates upon thawing.

Future Use:

• When ready, embryos are thawed and transferred into the uterus to attempt pregnancy.

Questions about Embryo Preservation?

Call Atlantic Fertility at (919) 248-8777.