{"id":1207,"date":"2020-01-31T14:51:36","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T14:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.theduff.co.uk\/?p=1207"},"modified":"2020-10-01T15:42:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T15:42:37","slug":"fresh-embryo-transfer-vs-frozen-ivf-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/fresh-embryo-transfer-vs-frozen-ivf-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer<\/strong> for IVF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>A DECADE OR SO AGO, BABY-DEPRIVED PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY WOULD<\/strong> feel gloomy and defeated on being told they\u2019d have to do a frozen embryo transfer (FET) rather than a fresh one (ET) \u2013 and they felt that way for good reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FET implantation rates from clinics and hospitals around the world used to be significantly worse than ET. It meant that \u2013 while a couple\u2019s \u201cleftover\u201d embryos might be frozen for attempt #2 (or #3, or #4\u2026) or baby #2 (or #3, or #4\u2026) \u2013 everyone was kinda pinning their hopes on the fresh one implanting successfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But ten years is a long time in medicine. Heck: it\u2019s a long time in <em>anything. <\/em>Ten years ago, rum & coke was my drink of choice and I thought Nando\u2019s was a classy dining establishment. (Don\u2019t get me wrong: Nando\u2019s is great. I just no longer say \u201cLet\u2019s push the boat out and have a mega-poncey evening\u201d when suggesting a meal there.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In those ten-ish years, IVF specialists have been busy working to improve the efficiency of embryo freezing and thawing \u2013 and they\u2019ve done a spectacular job. <\/p>\n\n\n<style>.elementor-572 .elementor-element.elementor-element-189190b1{padding:0% 36% 8% 22%;}.elementor-572 .elementor-element.elementor-element-6b407887 > .elementor-element-populated{margin:0% 3.2% 0% 14%;--e-column-margin-right:3.2%;--e-column-margin-left:14%;}.elementor-572 .elementor-element.elementor-element-65191d58{--box-background-color:#FCFAEE;--box-border-color:#007595;--box-border-width:0px;--box-border-radius:0px;--box-padding:24px;--box-min-height:48vh;--header-color:#F16653;--toggle-button-color:#333333;--item-text-color:#007595;--item-text-decoration:underline;--item-text-hover-decoration:underline;--marker-color:#007595;}.elementor-572 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0%;--e-column-margin-right:0%;--e-column-margin-left:0%;padding:0% 0% 0% 0%;}.elementor-572 .elementor-element.elementor-element-65191d58 > .elementor-widget-container{margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;}}\/* Start custom CSS for table-of-contents, class: .elementor-element-65191d58 *\/.elementor-toc__header-title {\n    color: #333333;\n}\n\n.elementor-toc__list-wrapper {\n    margin: 0em 2em 2em 0em;\n}\n\n.elementor-toc__list-items--collapsible li:not(:last-of-type) {\n    margin: 1.5em 0em;\n    padding-bottom: 1.5em;\n    border-bottom: 0.5px solid #007595;\n}\n\n\/* --- For Mobile --- *\/\n@media only screen and (max-width: 400px) {\n    .elementor-toc__list-wrapper {\n    margin: -1em 0em 0em 0em;\n}\n\n.elementor-toc__list-items--collapsible li:not(:last-of-type) {\n    margin: 1.2em 0em;\n    padding-bottom: 1.2em;\n    border-bottom: 0.5px solid #007595;\n}\n}\/* End custom CSS *\/<\/style>\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"572\" class=\"elementor elementor-572\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-189190b1 elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"189190b1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6b407887\" data-id=\"6b407887\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-65191d58 elementor-toc--minimized-on-none elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"65191d58\" data-element_type=\"widget\" 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class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tContents\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__65191d58\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__65191d58\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__65191d58\" class=\"elementor-toc__body elementor-toc__list-items--collapsible\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<i class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Two big developments in frozen embryo transfer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These two major developments in the world of FET are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1: Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Embryo freezing has been around since the 1980s, but back then the process (known as \u201cslow programmable freezing\u201d, or SPF) involved simply&nbsp;cooling down the embryo until it finally froze. The problem with this method? Ice crystals would form inside the cells of each embryo, damaging it and resulting in either a low survival rate or (if the embryo survived) a rubbish chance of successful implantation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then \u201cultra-rapid embryo cryopreservation\u201d (also known as \u201cvitrification\u201d) came along as a much-needed knight in shining armour. This method freezes the embryo about 60,000 times faster than SPF \u2013 which means the ice crystals don\u2019t even have a chance to&nbsp;gather their thoughts, let alone settle inside the cells of the embryo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2: Age<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Embryos used to be frozen around two or three days after successful fertilisation. That is, your eggs would be retrieved from your ovaries and mixed with sperm the following day, and then any embryos (i.e. the eggs that had successfully been fertilised by the sperm) would be frozen a couple of days later. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, many clinics and hospitals prefer to freeze the embryos five or six days after fertilisation instead \u2013 at which point the embryos are known as &#8220;blastocysts&#8221;. The reason? By the time the embryo has become a blastocyst, it\u2019s already survived a shit ton of developmental obstacles and is therefore more likely to survive the perilous journey from the doctor\u2019s petri dish to your uterus. Another reason is that&nbsp;the embryo should have a stronger chance of implanting because it\u2019s a more natural time for the embryo to be in the uterus. (In a &#8220;natural&#8221; pregnancy, the embryo would still&nbsp;be travelling&nbsp;down the fallopian tube at Day 3 \u2013 and would reach the uterus around Day 5.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"354\" src=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Zygote-to-Foetus-01-700px-1-e1583246208738.png\" alt=\"IVF \u2013 the stages of embryo transfer\" class=\"wp-image-792\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A third development to mention&#8230;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Doctors have begun to experiment with <a href=\"\/pgs-testing-ivf\/\">\u201cpre-implantation genetic screening\u201d (PGS)<\/a>. The evidence so far is mixed on how successful it is, but in theory, it allows them to identify \u201ccompetent\u201d embryos that contain all 46 chromosomes. Chromosomal abnormalities are another reason for failed implantation (as well as early miscarriage in early pregnancy), so it makes sense to identify those embryos and transfer a \u201ccompetent\u201d one instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PGS testing is normally performed on Day 5 embryos \u2013 and it takes about a week for the results to come through \u2013 so it\u2019s only really an option for people freezing their embryos rather than doing a fresh embryo transfer. (That\u2019s because the embryos will be older than six days old by the time the results come through \u2013 at which point they\u2019re too old to be transferred.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"\/pgs-testing-ivf\/\">Read all about PGS testing here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Is FET actually,&nbsp;gasp, <\/strong><strong><em>better <\/em><\/strong><strong>than ET? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All these developments go a long way towards explaining why FET has come on leaps and bounds and is considered at least as successful as ET. But many specialists are now going as far as to say that FET is <em>superior <\/em>to ET. Why might this be the case? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clinics and doctors who advocate FET over ET give the following reasons: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1: Your body will have had a chance to calm down <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some specialists argue that giving your body time to recover from the IVF stimulation cycle and egg retrieval means that the lining of your uterus will be in a better state for implantation to occur. (I.e. rather than be frazzled and drugged up, your uterus will be in a calm and more natural state to \u201creceive\u201d the embryo.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on whether you ovulate regularly or not, you may still have to take oestrogen and progesterone to thicken the lining of your uterus in preparation for a frozen transfer. But it\u2019s far less demanding on your body compared to what you went through with IVF stimulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2: Only the most hardcore embryos survive the freeze-thaw process<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An embryo that makes it through fertilisation, five-ish days of development into a blastocyst, ultra-rapid embryo cryopreservation (\u201cvitrification\u201d) and thawing is the Iron Man of fertility treatment: NOTHING is able to conquer that bad boy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compare that to an embryo that simply has to wait around for a few days before being transferred into your uterus. Meh. It <em>might<\/em> be one heck of an impressive embryo, but it might also be an utter weakling \u2013 one that couldn\u2019t survive a thunderstorm let alone its own personal ice age. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All&nbsp;this is to say: with FET, there\u2019s a better chance that your embryo will implant and develop successfully, because it's already proven how strong and capable it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3: You reduce the risk of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you get OHSS after egg retrieval, you\u2019re almost guaranteed to get it after a successful fresh embryo transfer too. (<a href=\"..\/ovarian-hyperstimulation-syndrome-ohss-ivf\/\">Read why that\u2019s the case in this article on OHSS<\/a>.) OHSS during early pregnancy is usually more serious and more longlasting than OHSS after egg retrieval, and you will <em>not <\/em>be a happy bunny if you get it \u2013 no matter how delighted you are to finally be pregnant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you leave a couple of months or so&nbsp;between egg retrieval and embryo transfer, your body has a chance to reset and get all the excess OHSS-causing hormones out of its system \u2013 which means you won\u2019t get OHSS after a successful transfer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you\u2019re at risk of getting OHSS from fertility treatment, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll be advised to do a frozen transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Group-1285@2x.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-492\" width=\"229\" height=\"105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Group-1285@2x.png 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class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-d5d4d58 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d5d4d58\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-cd19e09\" data-id=\"cd19e09\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4af177 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"a4af177\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-size-sm\" role=\"button\" id=\"fdg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">FREE EMAIL COURSE<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f14f693 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f14f693\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Get yourself prepared, knowledgeable and confident about your IVF treatment with this free email course<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-23969ce elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"23969ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"formkit-subheader\" data-element=\"subheader\"><p>When I was doing IVF, I'd be put on the spot at medical appointments and end up making &#8220;coin-flip\u201d decisions I later regretted. Don't be like me! Instead, take my free email course and learn:<\/p><p>&#8211; The scientific evidence (explained simply) behind the decisions you\u2019ll be asked to make<\/p><p>&#8211; What other women in your position chose to do<\/p><p>&#8211; How to speak confidently to medical professionals \u2013 and well-meaning friends and family \u2013 about your choices<\/p><p><strong>Enter your email address and receive the first lesson immediately.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4403c32 elementor-mobile-button-align-center elementor-tablet-button-align-stretch elementor-button-align-stretch elementor-widget elementor-widget-form\" data-id=\"4403c32\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;button_width&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;button_width_mobile&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;button_width_tablet&quot;:&quot;25&quot;,&quot;step_next_label&quot;:&quot;Next&quot;,&quot;step_previous_label&quot;:&quot;Previous&quot;,&quot;step_type&quot;:&quot;number_text&quot;,&quot;step_icon_shape&quot;:&quot;circle&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"form.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<form class=\"elementor-form\" method=\"post\" name=\"New Form\">\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"post_id\" value=\"1008\"\/>\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"form_id\" value=\"4403c32\"\/>\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"referer_title\" value=\"The Duff\" \/>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-form-fields-wrapper elementor-labels-\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-field-type-email elementor-field-group elementor-column elementor-field-group-email elementor-col-80 elementor-md-75 elementor-sm-100 elementor-field-required\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<label for=\"form-field-email\" class=\"elementor-field-label elementor-screen-only\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input size=\"1\" type=\"email\" name=\"form_fields[email]\" id=\"form-field-email\" class=\"elementor-field elementor-size-lg  elementor-field-textual\" placeholder=\"Your email address\" required=\"required\" aria-required=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-field-group elementor-column elementor-field-type-submit elementor-col-20 e-form__buttons elementor-md-25 elementor-sm-100\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"elementor-button elementor-size-lg\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\" elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Get started<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb52c53 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fb52c53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>I won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4: You almost literally don\u2019t need to put all your eggs in one basket<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Back when FET had far worse outcomes, doctors and patients alike would be keen to shove a few fresh embryos up you at the same time in the hope that at least one would \u201cstick\u201d and become a baby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless you dream of spending all your money on a custom-built octuplet pram, that doesn\u2019t seem like the ideal way of going about things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But now that the freezing process is so much more sophisticated, you can thaw one embryo at a time (knowing, of course, that if it survives the process, it\u2019s more likely to be a good \u2018un anyway) and keep the rest \u201con ice\u201d for when baby #1 is sleeping through the night and your nipples look less like war zones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5: Some studies show that babies born from frozen embryos are healthier<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article\/25\/7\/1699\/632761\">this study<\/a> found that FET babies had a significantly higher birth weight than those born from non-frozen blastocysts. And&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article\/24\/9\/2158\/598911\">this one<\/a> found that FET babies were less likely to be born prematurely or have a low birthweight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do the statistics show that FET&nbsp;increases the  IVF pregnancy rate? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Argh\u2026 do you <em>have <\/em>to ask this question? It\u2019s just that the research is a mind-baffling, caveated mess that usually leads to a long list of \u201cYes but you forgot to include x, y and z\u201d-esque counter-points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From what I can tell, the majority of recent studies indicate that pregnancy rates are pretty&nbsp;similar for ET and FET \u2013 although FET starts to overtake ET and become more successful for women over the age of 35. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having said that, many individual IVF clinics are starting to announce that FET is now more successful across <em>all<\/em> age groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If FET is so damn great, why is ET still a thing? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A few reasons: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>It\u2019s a shorter overall process to get pregnant (if successful), which is a big deal for women who\u2019ve been waiting decades for it to happen. &nbsp;<\/li><li>Preparing for FET involves yet <em>more <\/em>time off work, <em>more <\/em>time travelling to the clinic\/hospital, <em>more <\/em>scans, etc. FET adds to the hassle, basically. <\/li><li>Not all clinics have nailed the vitrification process. It\u2019s still quite a new technique, and it requires skill and experience on the part of the embryologist. If those clinics are still using the old-fashioned way of freezing embryos, the success rates won\u2019t be nearly as high. <\/li><li>For various medical reasons, some women are simply&nbsp;more likely to respond better to a fresh transfer. <\/li><li>If a woman only has one embryo after IVF stimulation, the doctor might decide to&nbsp;transfer it right away rather than risk the freeze\/thaw process. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How long do frozen embryos last?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In theory, indefinitely \u2013 although \u201cindefinitely\u201d is admittedly quite&nbsp;hard to put to the test. The longest reported time for an embryo to be frozen, thawed and result in a healthy delivery is currently&nbsp;24 years \u2013 but we\u2019re bound to see longer times as more people opt for fertility treatment and medical advances are made.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3a6436ac{padding:4% 22% 8% 22%;z-index:2;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-17d4eb46:not(.elementor-motion-effects-element-type-background) > .elementor-widget-wrap, .elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-17d4eb46 > .elementor-widget-wrap > .elementor-motion-effects-container > .elementor-motion-effects-layer{background-color:#C0E4E5;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-17d4eb46 > .elementor-element-populated{transition:background 0.3s, border 0.3s, border-radius 0.3s, box-shadow 0.3s;margin:0% 14% 0% 14%;--e-column-margin-right:14%;--e-column-margin-left:14%;padding:2% 1% 4% 1%;}.elementor-536 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.elementor-element.elementor-element-3a6436ac{padding:12% 5% 18% 5%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-17d4eb46 > .elementor-element-populated{margin:0% 0% 0% 0%;--e-column-margin-right:0%;--e-column-margin-left:0%;padding:8% 6% 12% 6%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-576153c1{text-align:center;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-576153c1 img{width:20%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-574ef11f{text-align:left;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-574ef11f .elementor-heading-title{font-size:1.1em;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-574ef11f > .elementor-widget-container{margin:4% 0% 6% 0%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3d61ba35 .elementor-post__title, .elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3d61ba35 .elementor-post__title a{font-size:1em;}}@media(min-width:768px){.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-ef00547{width:13%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-19a555d6{width:87.031%;}}@media(max-width:1024px) and (min-width:768px){.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-ef00547{width:100%;}.elementor-536 .elementor-element.elementor-element-19a555d6{width:100%;}}<\/style>\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"536\" class=\"elementor elementor-536\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3a6436ac elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3a6436ac\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-17d4eb46\" data-id=\"17d4eb46\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-40f8e482 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"40f8e482\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-ef00547\" data-id=\"ef00547\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-576153c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"576153c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"94\" height=\"142\" src=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Group-1294@2x.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-493\" alt=\"Lighbulb illustration\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-19a555d6\" data-id=\"19a555d6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-574ef11f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"574ef11f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">You might also like to read&#8230;<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d61ba35 elementor-grid-1 elementor-posts--thumbnail-none elementor-grid-tablet-1 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-posts\" data-id=\"3d61ba35\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;classic_columns&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;classic_row_gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:12,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;classic_columns_tablet&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;classic_columns_mobile&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;classic_row_gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;classic_row_gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"posts.classic\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-posts-container elementor-posts elementor-posts--skin-classic elementor-grid\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-1420 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-private-treatment-and-nhs-treatment\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/best-ivf-fertility-clinics-private-uk\/\" >\n\t\t\t\t<strong>The top-rated fertility clinics<\/strong> in the UK <br>(2021)<\/br>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-2260 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/feeling-lonely-infertility-1\/\" >\n\t\t\t\t<strong>How to cope with loneliness<\/strong> when you want a 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IVF\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A DECADE OR SO AGO, BABY-DEPRIVED PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY WOULD feel gloomy and defeated on being told they\u2019d have to do a frozen embryo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer for IVF \u2013 which is best?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Embryo freezing has improved hugely in recent years, but is it any better than a fresh embryo transfer? Which should you choose \u2013 fresh or frozen?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theduff.co.uk\/fresh-embryo-transfer-vs-frozen-ivf-uk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer for IVF \u2013 which is best?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Embryo freezing has improved hugely in recent years, but is it any better than a fresh embryo transfer? 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