Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
An FET is suitable for patients who have already had IVF or ICSI treatment and have frozen embryos as a result.
What is an FET, and who is it for?
An FET is suitable for patients who have already had IVF or ICSI treatment and have frozen embryos as a result. This may be because they had surplus good quality embryos available after having a fresh embryo transfer or because all embryos were frozen in that cycle.
How does an FET work?
The patients’ embryo/s will be thawed and placed into the uterus at the optimum time in the woman’s cycle to try to achieve a pregnancy. This may be in line with their natural cycle or within a medicated cycle to help time the treatment.
The patient will be scanned at certain points during their cycle and this will determine when the embryo/s should be thawed and transferred. Medications may be supplied to help support the lining of the womb to be as receptive to the embryo as possible.
Ten days after the transfer, the patient will perform a pregnancy test to determine whether implantation has taken place. If the test is positive, an ultrasound scan two weeks after will be arranged to determine the viability of the pregnancy. If the result is negative, the patient will withdraw the medication, and a period will occur.
Why is FET Important?
FET allows patients to attempt to conceive without the need to have a full cycle of IVF or ICSI treatment and with equivalent chances of success. This helps to reduce interventions, appointments and costs.
When is an FET recommended?
Frozen embryo transfer (FET) is recommended in various situations and can be a suitable option for many patients undergoing fertility treatment.
In some instances, FET is recommended in the following situations:
- Negative pregnancy test after a fresh IVF/ICSI cycle
- All embryos frozen in the fresh IVF/ICSI cycle for medical reasons (OHSS, thin lining)
- Embryo Banking
- Egg recipients
- Shared motherhood
- Embryo genetic testing
Success rates and statistics of FET
Success rates of FET are comparable to fresh transfers. As with all IVF/ICSI treatment, success rates will be dependent on patient and embryonic factors and hence will vary between patients.
How much does FET cost? FET treatment at Bridge Clinic London costs £2,160
This includes
- A consultation with one of our clinicians to plan for the treatment
- A teaching session with the member of the nursing team to teach drug administration and support you with the consenting process
- Baseline scan
- Monitoring scans
- Embryo thawing
- Embryo culture
- Embryo transfer
- Pregnancy scan if applicable
