What is a frozen embryo transfer cycle?
IVF cycles where a frozen embryo from a previous fresh cycle is thawed and put back into a woman’s uterus are called frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. As a result, you won’t have to go through another period of hormone therapy and egg collection. Embryonic cycles with frozen embryos can be done on your regular cycle or with hormone preparation or ovulation induction.
Why choose the frozen embryo transfer procedure?
About two to three days before transferring the frozen embryo into the womb, doctors usually select the fittest eggs for transfer. Although there are many methods doctors can use to determine the eggs, they resort to various non-invasive techniques, such as metabolomics and profiling, for testing purposes.
Doctors prescribe a frozen embryo transfer procedure for many reasons. Mostly, it is prescribed to patients with health conditions. PET has helped many women to get pregnant.
The most common reasons for embryo transfers include the following:
- Ovulation disorders: Rarely ovulating due to rising age or irregular menstruations leads a woman to bring forth fewer eggs to enable proper fertilisation.
- Dysfunctional fallopian tubes: The damaged or scarred fallopian tubes inhibit the movement of fertilised eggs to the womb or uterus, thereby hindering the possibility of getting pregnant.
- Endometriosis: Uterine tissue grows outside of it. It hampers the chances of pregnancy in the woman.
- Premature ovarian failure: When the ovaries fall, they either stop producing their normal amount of estrogen or fail to shed an egg.
- Uterine fibroids: Some women might be subjected to small, noncancerous growths on the uterus wall. Such growths hamper the egg’s possibility of sticking in the uterus, causing a failed pregnancy.
- Hereditary disorders: A large percentage of women suffer from hereditary disorders which make them barren.
- Low sperm count: The cases of advising women to get pregnant through the embryo transfer procedure arise due to the existence of infertility among men. These men cannot become fathers due to various reasons, including low sperm count, decreased motility of sperm, damaged testes, etc.
What happens before and during the frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle?
- Doctors select the best eggs to transfer to the womb about two to three days before the frozen embryo transfer procedure. Various methods are used to choose the eggs, but most doctors prefer noninvasive methods such as metabolomic profiling for testing purposes.
- You will receive medicines that will slow down your ovaries before the FET treatment. Either birth control pills or a shot of a hormone known as Lupron will be administered to you.
- After taking this medicine for at least 10 days, you will receive estradiol. This hormone is available in pill, shot, or patch form. It makes your endometrium better prepared to accept the egg.
- You will have a blood test to measure of estradiol level. Two weeks from when you are on estradiol, you will have a vaginal scan. The uterine thickness will be checked to see if it is acceptable for embryo transfer.
Ensure you know the exact time to start taking the progesterone.It’s very important what time it is. It affects when your frozen eggs will be thawed and moved.
- Doctors will also instruct you about the intake of Medrol, which is a kind of steroid medication used occasionally to help an egg being fertilised. Medrol will be prescribed to you for 5 days only.
- Do not stop taking estradiol and progesterone until doctor tell you to stop.
- You will continue receiving estradiol and progesterone during pregnancy until your pregnancy reaches a minimum age of 10 weeks.
What happens to the embryos during the FET process?
Embryos are preserved at three stages: immediately after fertilisation (day 1), the cleavage stage (day 3), and the blastocyst stage (day 5).
Either one at a time or in groups, your embryos were frozen. They were frozen in straws or small bottles. What determines how many vials or straws will be thawed for the FET is:
- Your age
- The quality of your embryos
- The number of embryos frozen in each vial or straw
- Any other factors that were present when your embryos were frozen.
Your embryos may require a period to be grow in the lab before they can be transferred to your uterus after thawing, depending on when and how they were frozen. This is before they can be transferred to your uterus. Doctor will let you know if any additional steps need to be taken and how they will affect your FET cycle. If these additional steps are necessary, they will cost more.
Several eggs will be thawed for transfer. This number comes from the amount of eggs that gives you the best chance of getting pregnant and the worst chance of having more than one baby at the same time.
We will also consider that some embryos will not survive being thawed and then frozen. After talking with you, your doctor will suggest the number of embryos to be thawed and transferred.
What is the procedure of frozen embryo transfer?
The procedure itself is straightforward and normally performed three to four weeks following the menstrual cycle of a woman. It involves inserting a speculum into the vagina of the woman, which will keep its walls open. The process will then require the use of ultrasound to ensure proper profiling, after which the doctor will pass the catheter through the cervix into the womb. The embryos will be passed through the catheter tube into the womb. The procedure takes a few minutes to accomplish. But some women may say it hurts when the speculum is put in or when they have to go through the whole process without going to the toilet, which is necessary for an ultrasound. Because the process takes only a few minutes, women can go to the toilet immediately after it’s over.
What happens after the frozen embryo transfer?
Around two weeks later, the patients must undergo a check-up to see if the egg transfer was successful. Women who have undergone frozen embryo transfer mostly experience some degree of cramping, bloating, and vaginal discharge afterwards. The process of FET also does not expose one to many risks. Most of the risks are associated with increased hormone levels, which increases the risk of developing a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel. Multiple pregnancies are possible because more than one egg can pass through the catheter and attach to the uterus. The risk of the woman miscarrying is about the same as if she had conceived naturally. There is also a possibility that a baby or a child might be born with disabilities.
What are the benifits of FET?
These good things might happen to you because of FET:
- Pregnancy
- Ability to select how many eggs go into your uterus
- Any step of the process will work.
- The treatment will result in pregnancy.
- The pregnancy will end in the delivery of a healthy baby.
What are the potential risks or problems with FET?
- There is a chance that no frozen embryos will survive the freezing and thawing process. Because of this, there will be no eggs to transfer.
- The use of hormones such as estradiol may increase your risk of developing a blood clot. You may need to be on anticoagulants, which thin your blood, for a few months if you get blood clots. Peripheral embolus (blood clots in the lungs), stroke, or even death are very rare problems that blood clots can cause.
- There could be some pain, cramping, and minimal bleeding during the procedure of embryo transfer. There is a very rare chance of having infections from the tube. You may have to take some medicines in that scenario.
- Another risk of FET is having more than one baby at the same time, known as multiple pregnancies. When you are putting more babies in your uterus, the chances of this risk increase.
One of the dangers of having more than one baby is that you might go into labor early.
Some of the risks of having multiple gestations include:
- You may be experiencing preterm labor.
- Your babies may have issues in future if they were born too early.
- Your babies might have long-term complications arising from being born prematurely.
- You might experience labor and delivery before your due date. This may expose you to a higher risk of getting a C-section, bleeding, or developing an infection.
The mother can suffer from complications during pregnancy. Two of these are:
- Pregnant women can develop gestational diabetes that raises her blood sugar level and can harm the health of the baby.
- A dangerous condition is preeclampsia, which means that your blood pressure goes up suddenly.
It might take longer than expected for your endometrium to thicken after you begin taking hormones. This may mean that the date of your FET will be different. You might need more hormones and close watching.
What are the success rates of FET procedure?
There are various ways of transferring embryos. The success rate is higher when new embryos are transferred than when frozen embryos are transferred. Doctors use fresh eggs to give their female patients a better chance of getting pregnant. This is also a very important factor in the success rates of FET.
The FET process may not be effective at first. That is why frozen embryos are used for embryo transfers more than fresh ones that can only be used for once. Other than these, other factors such as the reasons for infertility, ethnic and genetic backgrounds, must be considered also.
Why Tender Palm IVF & Fertility Center for Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) Procedure in Lucknow, India?
Tender Palm IVF & Fertility Center offers the Best Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) Procedure in Lucknow, India. Our expert fertility specialists use state-of-the-art vitrification and thawing techniques to ensure high embryo survival and implantation success. We provide personalized hormonal support, advanced ultrasound monitoring, and compassionate care for couples opting for frozen embryo cycles. Our high success rates and ethical protocols make us a trusted destination for safe and effective FET treatments in India.