Things to Know Before Going for Frozen Embryo Transfer Treatment

An embryo transfer (FET) cycle is available anytime you have frozen embryos that you would want to utilize in the future. After the birth of a child, you may desire to return and use your frozen embryos to continue growing your family, or you may have had embryos cryopreserved after a failed stimulated in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in which you wanted to try again.

Frozen Embryo Transfer Procedure

Embryos are frozen at the blastocyst stage, which occurs five days after fertilization and is the last stage of development. Upon thawing, the embryos are ready to be put into the woman's uterus the same day they are thawed. To ensure that the lining of the uterus matches the embryo's developmental stage, progesterone must be injected for 5 to 6 days before the embryo transfer. Then, progesterone injections begin on Sundays, and the embryo is transplanted on Thursdays. 

When it comes to frozen embryo transfer procedure, the method is quite similar to fresh embryo transfer. To begin, the embryos must be thawed. Following that, the embryos are loaded into a catheter by the doctor. Transvaginal ultrasonography is utilized to guide the catheter past the cervix and into the uterus, and it is performed under ultrasound guidance. It is possible to do embryo transfer via abdominal incisions when it is too difficult to enter through the cervix.

Following placement of the catheter tip in the uterus, the embryologist will implant the embryos into the uterus. The doctor eliminates the catheter and examines it to confirm that all embryos were successfully implanted into the uterus.

You may go home the same day since the frozen embryo transfer procedure is conducted in an outpatient facility. Anesthesia is not required for the transfer of embryos. The amount of pain is comparable to that of a PAP smear. Your companion may be there throughout the surgery.

Frozen embryos vs. fresh embryos

It has been shown that there is no significant difference in pregnancy success rates between fresh and frozen embryos when embryo transfer is performed after meticulous evaluation and individualization of each patient. Because it provides the clinician with the chance to modify the uterine environment to make it more susceptible to conception, frozen embryo transfer therapy may sometimes provide greater pregnancy success rates for certain women than fresh embryo transfer treatment. The success of the procedure is also dependent on the maternal age at the time of embryo freezing, as well as several other criteria.

According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine comparing fresh vs. frozen embryos, Elective frozen embryo transfer has been demonstrated to result in a greater live-birth probability than fresh-embryo transfer among ovulatory women with polycystic ovarian syndrome when compared with fresh-embryo transfer.

A few days after the egg has been harvested and combined with sperm for fertilization, the embryo transfer procedure is carried out to transfer the embryo. Whether fresh or frozen, the embryos may then be put into the uterus.

The actual implantation process is the same when it comes to fresh embryo transfer and frozen embryo transfer treatment cycle.

What to expect with a FET cycle?

The frozen embryo transfer cycle (also known as FET) is a simpler procedure than the egg retrieval cycle. The average number of visits required before transfer day is two to three. There are only a few appointments needed, and the monitoring visits may be scheduled at a more convenient time for you.

 

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