The cryopreservation and storage of excess embryos resulting from IVF treatment has been routinely, and successfully, performed in the clinical setting since 1983. Our highly skilled and experienced embryologists determine if embryos are suitable for freezing, as only high-quality embryos will survive the cryopreservation and thaw process. Because of these limitations the majority of IVF treatments will not result in embryos suitable for cryopreservation. Current statistics for our laboratory show the survival rate of embryos following the cryopreservation/thaw process is typically over 80 percent with a clinical pregnancy rate per transfer of 60 percent.
The benefit of embryo cryopreservation is that patients will have an opportunity to conceive without undergoing ovarian stimulation and surgical recovery of eggs that is performed during a typical IVF treatment cycle. It should be noted that patients undergo treatment with hormone replacement when undergoing transfer of frozen/thawed embryos, and this treatment is continued throughout the first trimester of pregnancy.
The techniques used in the laboratory to cryopreserve/thaw embryos are constantly evolving and the IVF New Jersey embryology laboratory utilizes state-of-the-art procedures that have proven to provide the best results for our patients. To date, there is no known increase in congenital malformations in offspring resulting from cryopreserved/thawed embryos.
If you have further questions regarding embryo cryopreservation, contact IVF New Jersey today.