Embryo cryopreservation allows you to freeze your embryos for future use

Many people all over the world yearn to be parents. However, the timeline of actually becoming a parent is different for many people. Some may want to focus on their educational, professional or personal goals before having a baby. Others may need to postpone family-building due to treatments like chemotherapy. Regardless of the reason, those who would like to become parents later in life can use embryo cryopreservation (embryo freezing) to make it possible.

How does embryo cryopreservation work?

Embryo freezing requires patients to undergo a cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF). This process involves several steps, and our Las Vegas fertility doctors walk patients through each one.

• The patient who will provide the eggs will take injectable fertility medications to encourage her body to produce multiple eggs.
• When the patient’s eggs are mature, she will have an outpatient egg retrieval procedure at our clinic.
• Embryologists in the IVF lab will fertilize the retrieved eggs using sperm from the patient’s partner or chosen sperm donor.
• When the embryos reach about Day 5 of development, the embryologists will flash-freeze them using a technique called vitrification.

Once embryos are frozen, they can remain that way for years or even decades. When the patient is ready to conceive using the frozen embryos, embryologists will thaw the embryos. One of our Las Vegas fertility doctors will then transfer one or more of the embryos to the uterus of the patient or a gestational surrogate.

Who should consider embryo freezing?

Embryo cryopreservation is a great way for couples to preserve their fertility. Sometimes, patients decide to do this because they don’t feel ready to have a baby yet. In other cases, people may pursue embryo freezing after receiving a cancer diagnosis. This is because life-saving cancer treatments can often damage female and male fertility.

Our Las Vegas fertility doctors also recommend embryo freezing to any patient who is moving forward with a cycle of IVF, especially when using preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).

Research has shown that many patients can have better success rates with the transfer of frozen-thawed embryos as compared to fresh embryos. Additionally, the live birth rates with frozen embryo transfers at The Fertility Center of Las Vegas have exceeded national averages for several years.

If you’d like to learn more about embryo cryopreservation, contact us for a consultation. Our team can help you explore your family-building options, including embryo freezing.