Should I Do a Fresh or Frozen Transfer?

The fresh vs. frozen transfer debate is a longstanding one. Ultimately, your doctor will recommend which option is best for you, but the success rates are encouraging regardless of which direction you go.

One difference between a fresh and frozen embryo transfer is the need to take hormones to prepare your uterus. With a fresh embryo transfer, your body ‘ovulates’ with the egg retrieval so it is naturally prepared for an embryo transfer several days later. With a frozen embryo transfer, we’ll use medications to prepare your uterus to be receptive to an embryo.

The technology used to freeze embryos (vitrification) helps us achieve live birth rates that are equivalent or better than a fresh embryo transfer. A growing body of data suggests that frozen embryo transfer indeed has a higher success rate than fresh transfer, but understandably many people prefer not to have to wait another month or more to try to get pregnant.