Freezing Embryos

Why Embryo Freezing is Important

During the course of IVF treatment, only a certain number of embryos are transferred to the uterus to prevent higher-order pregnancies. This means you may have unused embryos during an IVF cycle. We encourage patients to freeze these embryos, so they are available if and when needed for a future IVF procedure.

How does embryo cryopreservation work?

Any embryos not used in your IVF cycle can be frozen (cryopreserved) in liquid nitrogen in our lab. They are meticulously labeled and handled with care by our embryologists. We store your embryos in our secure storage facility within our St. Louis fertility center.

At MCRM Fertility, we are proud of our strong record in cryopreservation. We’ve made significant investments in our laboratory and storage facilities. We’re proud of our near 100% thaw/survival success rate for embryonic preservation. We know how precious your embryos are, and our level of care for your cryopreserved embryos reflects that. When you’re ready to use your frozen embryos, we carefully thaw and examine them to ensure they are ready to be transferred to the uterus.  

How much does it cost to freeze embryos?

Frozen embryos can be stored for an indefinite amount of time. We offer both, convenient monthly storage and long-term storage plans for cryopreservation of embryos.

As with all of our fertility treatments, you can discuss your options with our financial counselors at any time.  We know how precious your embryos are, and we try to make cryopreservation as affordable as possible.

What if I don’t use my frozen embryos?

If you decide at some time in the future that you no longer want to keep your embryos frozen, you have a few choices. You can donate your embryos to be used anonymously by another person embarking on the journey to parenthood. You can also choose to donate your embryos to fertility researchers. 

If you’re not comfortable with either of those options, you can ask us to carefully dispose of your frozen embryos. It’s all up to you, but we’re here to help you make the most informed decision and answer any questions you may have.