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Embryo freezing gives you more flexibility in how and when you grow your family. Embryos created through IVF can be stored for a future transfer, whether you plan to pursue pregnancy now or want to preserve options for later.
Those embryos can also become an important part of a gestational surrogacy journey if IVF does not lead to pregnancy or carrying a pregnancy is not possible. Freezing embryos now can allow you to explore that path later without starting the embryo creation process over.
At American Surrogacy, we help intended parents understand how their frozen embryos can fit into surrogacy and coordinate the next steps toward growing their family.
Understanding the Embryo Freezing Process for IVF and Surrogacy
The embryo freezing process begins with creating embryos through IVF and ends with storing them for a future transfer. Whether those embryos are later transferred to you or a gestational surrogate, the process generally includes five steps:
Eggs are retrieved after ovarian stimulation, or donor eggs may be used to create embryos. Retrieved eggs are fertilized with sperm in a fertility lab to create embryos. Embryos are monitored as they develop, typically until the blastocyst stage around day five or six. If PGT is part of your treatment plan, a small sample of cells is taken from eligible blastocysts for testing. Embryos are rapidly frozen through vitrification and stored in liquid nitrogen until you are ready for a future embryo transfer.
Step 1. Egg Retrieval
Egg retrieval begins with ovarian stimulation, using hormone medications to help multiple eggs mature. Your fertility clinic monitors their development before scheduling the egg retrieval procedure.
During retrieval, a fertility specialist collects the mature eggs so they can be fertilized. If you are using donor eggs, these may be retrieved from a donor or acquired as frozen eggs through an egg bank.
Step 2. Fertilization
After retrieval, mature eggs are fertilized with sperm from an intended parent or donor using conventional insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Typically, about 70% to 80% of mature eggs fertilize, although results vary.
Fertilization rates can depend on factors such as the age and quality of the eggs, sperm quality and the fertilization method used. Successfully fertilized eggs become embryos and begin the next stage of development.
Step 3. Embryo Development
After fertilization, the fertilized egg, now called a zygote, begins dividing as it develops in a laboratory incubator. By day three, a developing embryo typically contains about six to eight cells.
By day five or six, many embryos that continue developing reach the blastocyst stage, when distinct inner and outer cell groups have formed. At this stage, embryos may be evaluated for genetic testing, freezing and future transfer.
Step 4. PGT
Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can be performed before embryos are frozen. The most common type, PGT-A, checks embryos for extra or missing chromosomes that could affect implantation or pregnancy.
PGT-A does not guarantee a successful pregnancy, but selecting a chromosomally normal embryo for transfer may improve the likelihood of implantation and reduce the risk of miscarriage. Our embryo genetic testing guide explains how testing works and when it may be recommended.
Step 5. Vitrification and Storage
During vitrification, embryos are treated with cryoprotectants and rapidly cooled to prevent damaging ice crystals from forming. This process preserves the embryos until they are needed for a future transfer.
The frozen embryos are placed in carefully labeled storage devices and kept in liquid nitrogen tanks at a fertility clinic or specialized cryostorage facility. These tanks maintain temperatures around -196°C (-321°F) and are monitored to keep embryos safely stored.
How Many Embryos Should You Freeze?
When deciding how many embryos to freeze, it can help to think beyond your first transfer. Your fertility specialist may consider your desired family size, age, embryo quality and treatment history when discussing how many embryos could give you options for future pregnancies.
Age can affect both the number of eggs retrieved and the likelihood of developing viable embryos, so some families may need more than one retrieval cycle to reach their goals. Having additional frozen embryos can provide flexibility if a transfer is unsuccessful, you hope to have more children later or you decide to pursue gestational surrogacy.
Planning with your long-term family goals in mind can also reduce the possibility of needing another egg retrieval later.
How Much Does Embryo Freezing Cost?
Creating and freezing embryos through IVF typically costs $15,000 to $30,000+ per cycle, depending on medications, laboratory services, genetic testing and your fertility clinic. Embryo freezing costs can also vary based on the services included in your treatment plan.
Once your embryos are frozen, storage typically costs $500 to $1,200 per year. Fees vary by fertility clinic or storage facility and are generally billed annually for as long as your embryos remain in storage.
How Long Can Frozen Embryos Be Stored?
Frozen embryos do not have a standard medical expiration date. When properly vitrified and continuously stored at extremely low temperatures, embryos can remain frozen for many years and potentially decades. How long you keep embryos in storage may depend on several factors:
- Storage Monitoring: Clinics and cryostorage facilities monitor storage tanks, temperatures and liquid nitrogen levels to maintain appropriate conditions.
- Clinic Policies: Your fertility clinic or storage facility may have its own policies for long-term storage, renewals and annual fees.
- Ownership Agreements: You will typically complete consent forms outlining who has decision-making authority over the embryos and what should happen to them under certain circumstances.
- Legal Considerations: Agreements may address future decisions involving divorce, separation or death. State laws can also affect how disputes over stored embryos are handled.
Keeping your contact information, payment details and storage agreements current can help prevent complications while your embryos remain frozen.
Can You Ship Frozen Embryos to a Different Clinic?
Yes. Frozen embryos can be transported between fertility clinics and cryostorage facilities. Shipping frozen embryos is often necessary when changing clinics or preparing for a surrogacy journey in another location. Here’s what the process may involve:
- Shipping Timeline: Coordination can take several days to a few weeks, depending on the facilities, courier availability and required documentation.
- Specialized Transport: Cryogenic medical couriers use containers designed to maintain appropriate temperatures throughout transit.
- Documentation: The sending and receiving facilities may require consent forms, medical records and authorization before embryos can be released.
- Chain of Custody: Tracking and documentation help account for the embryos throughout transportation and delivery.
- Insurance Options: Some transport companies offer insurance or financial protection for certain losses that could occur during shipping.
When Does a Frozen Embryo Transfer Happen?
The timing of a frozen embryo transfer (FET) depends on your individual IVF or surrogacy timeline. Since embryos can remain safely frozen in storage, there is no need to schedule a transfer immediately after they are created.
Before transfer, the recipient or gestational surrogate completes medical preparation to help prepare the uterine lining for implantation. Factors such as embryo quality and age at egg retrieval can also influence frozen embryo transfer success rates.
Using Frozen Embryos for Surrogacy
Once you match with a gestational surrogate, she completes the required medical screening and receives clearance from your fertility clinic. Your frozen embryos can then be shipped to the clinic that will perform the transfer if they are stored elsewhere.
Your surrogate follows a medication and monitoring schedule to prepare her uterine lining before the frozen embryo transfer. After transfer, the fertility clinic monitors for pregnancy through bloodwork and early ultrasounds before transitioning care to her OB-GYN.
How American Surrogacy Helps Families Use Frozen Embryos
If you already have frozen embryos, you may be able to move into the surrogacy process without repeating egg retrieval and embryo creation. We help coordinate the next steps so your existing embryos fit smoothly into your journey. Our support includes:
We work with your fertility clinic and other professionals to coordinate medical records, embryo transfer requirements and shipping logistics when needed. Our national recruitment efforts help us maintain an average 1–6 month match time, helping you move toward transfer sooner once you are ready to match. Your surrogacy specialist helps coordinate the medical, legal and logistical milestones throughout your journey. Our Limited Risk Program provides unlimited rematching after qualifying disruptions without requiring you to pay our agency fees again.
With the right coordination and protections in place, the embryos you have already created can become the starting point for your surrogacy journey.
Take the Next Step Toward Growing Your Family
If you already have frozen embryos and are considering gestational surrogacy, you may be able to use the embryos you have already created without repeating the egg retrieval process. The time, hope and resources you have invested in IVF can continue to move you toward growing your family.
Fill out our online contact form to connect with a surrogacy specialist. We can help you understand how your frozen embryos fit into the surrogacy process and what your next steps could look like.