Embryo Freezing

Cryopreservation, also known as "freezing," involves storing embryos at a very low temperature so that they can be thawed and used later. Many fertility clinics now offer patients this option.

There are many reasons for using cryopreservation. It is often done when there are more embryos than are needed for a single in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. The extra embryos are saved and potentially used during later cycles.

IVF success rates are generally lower with frozen embryos than with freshly fertilized embryos, although pregnancy rates with frozen embryos have been improving in recent years. The survival rate after thawing often depends on the quality of the embryos at the time of freezing.

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