What Does
Frozen Cycle Mean?
A frozen cycle is when as part of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure, a previously frozen embryo is warmed and transferred to a uterus. During an IVF cycle, mature eggs are retrieved, sperm is collected and the two are combined in a lab to create viable embryos. Instead of directly being transferred into a uterus, the embryos are cryopreserved with the possibility of future transfers.
A frozen cycle is also known as a frozen embryo transfer (FET).
FertilitySmarts Explains Frozen Cycle
A frozen cycle is a means to preserve good quality embryos for later pregnancy attempts without having to repeat the arduous egg collection and fertilization process.
These embryos can then be thawed for frozen embryo transfer at a later date. Thawing has a high success rate and a study published in 2016 found that there was no increased risk of birth defects or developmental abnormalities in children born from frozen embryos. There is no statistical difference in pregnancy rates between fresh and frozen embryo transfers.