What Can I Expect During a Frozen Embryo Transfer?

Advancements in infertility treatments are helping many people have the family they’ve always dreamed of. But the journey is often filled with new experiences, complex steps, and a rollercoaster of emotions. 

If you’re at the frozen embryo transfer stage of your infertility process, you’ve come a long way and you’re almost to the end. But you may still have questions like: What happens during the transfer?

At CARE Fertility in Bedford and Fort Worth, Texas, our team of reproductive endocrinology and infertility experts understands the many questions you have about various infertility treatments, and we do our best to provide thorough answers. 

What happens during a frozen embryo transfer is one we hear a lot, so we’re using this month’s blog to explain what you can expect.

What is a frozen embryo transfer?

A frozen embryo transfer is what it sounds like. It’s the placement of an embryo (fertilized egg) that was previously frozen into your uterus for pregnancy. We use an advanced cryopreservation process to eliminate crystallization of the embryo that may affect viability.

Embryo freezing preserves your fertility, allowing you to use embryos when you’re ready. We may freeze embryos for our patients who are starting in vitro fertilization (IVF) or for individuals who aren’t ready to start a family but want to in the future.

Before the transfer, we carefully thaw the embryo, slowly warming it to body temperature.

Prepping for the transfer

Preparing for a frozen embryo transfer is very similar to IVF. We get your body ready for pregnancy with hormones that help build the lining of your uterus so it can accept the embryo. 

During hormone treatment, we do regular diagnostic tests to check your blood hormone levels and ultrasound tests to keep a close eye on your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus. We want to make sure your body is fully ready to accept the embryo before we attempt placement. 

The day of transfer

We follow a set protocol when transferring the frozen embryo to your uterus. We review the details with you before the procedure so you know what to expect.

The procedure is short and relatively painless, similar to a Pap test. 

We insert a catheter through your vagina to the uterus and release the embryo. We use ultrasound imaging to guide the procedure and ensure accurate placement. 

What happens next

After the frozen embryo transfer, we wait. We give your body and the embryo time to implant into the uterus. You return to the office about two weeks after the transfer for a pregnancy test and an ultrasound. 

If we have a positive outcome, we closely monitor your pregnancy and refer you to your OB/GYN for prenatal care.

Though frozen embryo transfer can lead to great outcomes, there’s always a chance that pregnancy doesn’t occur. In this case, we try again.

Frozen embryo transfer is one of the many fertility treatments we offer at CARE Fertility. If you’re struggling to get pregnant or stay pregnant, we can help. Call us today or request an appointment online.