Frozen embryo transfer (FET)

Frozen embryo transfer (FET)

Frozen embryo transfer is a treatment available for patients who have had embryos frozen in previous treatment cycles. It is much simpler than having a full ‘fresh’ IVF or ICSI cycle and patients may want to consider it as an option prior to a further ‘fresh’ cycle if they are unsuccessful on their first attempt.

The patient takes oestrogen hormones to develop the lining of the womb. Embryos are thawed, examined to make sure they have survived and are developing as expected before being placed in the womb. Cleavage and blastocyst stage embryos are thawed on the same day as transfer. In some cases embryos may have been frozen at the  2-pronuclear stage, in which case they are thawed out 24 hours prior to the frozen embryo transfer.