Frozen embryo transfer- some frequently asked questions

By Dr. Shobha Gupta

Embryo transfer is a part of IVF process. Main part of IVF is the ET which is called Embryo Transfer which usually takes 10 to 15 days to be injected in woman’s womb. Spare embryos from your IVF treatment can be frozen for future use, depending on their quality. Embryos can be stored for up to ten years for future treatment if your first cycle was unsuccessful or for siblings. Freezing is complex and you should bear in mind that success rates can be reduced with frozen embryo transfer. The culture medium containing one or two embryos is loaded into a thin catheter with a syringe on the end. The doctor carefully guides the catheter through the vagina and cervix, and deposits the embryo(s) into the uterus. Implantation begins three to four days later. 

Now let’s take few FAQ’s

Q. 1 Who does it benefit the most?

Ans. Infertile couples, single parent, aged couples. Lets say if a couple has a baby through IVF and the couple froze some of the eggs for future use. When she returns in a few years for an FET for her second baby, her ovaries and eggs will have aged and her fertility will have statistically decreased somewhat, but her frozen embryos are just as good cellularly as they were when she was younger. It's like a head-start in the getting-pregnant process for older women. 

Q. 2 What is the cost of FET(frozen embryo transfer)in India?

Ans. Embryos are frozen with an IVF /ICSI cycle. So, the cost of IVF / ICSI would apply. There would be an additional cost of freezing the embryos and storing them per year. For details on costs, email us on motherslapivf@gmail.com.

Q. 3 What to expect during FET?

Ans. After embryo transfer, you have to wait approximately 1-2 weeks before a pregnancy can be detected. Once the embryo / embryos are in, you just have to chill out and take it easy for a couple weeks. Patients tend to get emotional too during FET; even though FET is less involved and less stressful than IVF, the emotional roller coaster is still present, and as chaotic as ever.  The preparation stage is still a drag, as the two-week wait will be also. After FET one must continue with the medicines estrogen and progesterone. Take pregnancy blood test 10-14 days later. The success rate is approx 40% but it varies from clinic to clinic. It is indeed gaining popularity in India too.

Q. 4 What is your advice to infertile couples, should they opt for this procedure? 

Ans. With thriving careers and high disposable incomes, more women are taking the gamble of egg freezing as they climb the ladder or wait for Mr. Right. An increasing number of couples these days are opting for egg freezing; with little time in their hands they couldn't manage to meet. Even Apple and Facebook have announced that they will pay for the Egg freezing process to their female employees so that they can delay childbirth and prolong their careers. 

 

We have many couples working for IT firms, BPO’s and management background they freeze their sperms or even go for egg freezing. They all are very career oriented and doesn’t have time at all to make love; in fact they only meet on weekends. Freezing sperm for such couples is the best way to aid conception in the man’s absence.

Besides a prosperous career, the uncertainty of marriage and fear of infertility are two major factors contributing to this trend. Also the number and quality of eggs decline with the increase in age, hence the best time to freeze your eggs is in your 20s or early 30s (ideally below 35 years). Younger the eggs, higher the chances of conceiving. But due to less awareness about egg freezing, women usually consider this option at a later stage. 

If a woman waits until she is 40 before trying to have children, she may need several rounds of IVF to conceive, which adds up monetarily. Also, at the age of 40 there is no guarantee that she will become pregnant even with IVF as her eggs are of far poorer quality. On the other hand, if she freezes her eggs at the age of 30 and then has them re- inserted ten years later, the chances of a baby are three to five times greater.

Egg freezing is a costly procedure and has been adopted in India in last 2 yrs only. But thanks to the technology we are now able to help such career oriented couples.