Where Do Your Embryos Go?

A question that many couples have during their IVF journey is what to do with excess embryos. Though that decision requires a lot of thought and depends on each individual’s beliefs, the follow up question to consider is this: If you’ve decided to store excess embryos, where and how do you want them stored?

Though every fertility group has different practices, at the Center for Reproductive Care, we provide our patients with options regarding their long-term storage. Patients have the option of choosing long-term storage in which their embryos are transferred either via automobile to a secure location in the suburbs of Chicago near our clinic or via plane to another larger long-term storage facility. Both labs provide the safest and most secure environments possible for frozen tissue. All long-term storage facilities require registration, governance, and regular inspection by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to protect your eggs or embryos until you are ready to use them.

Your eggs or embryos can be stored indefinitely, but there are annual storage fees that can start at $400 depending upon the storage facility chosen. When it comes time to moving your embryos back to your clinic for use, you should contact both your clinic and the long-term facility to let them know that you are ready to use your eggs or embryos and they should be prepared for shipping.

There is no evidence that moving your eggs or embryos from one lab to another affects their health or ability to be fertilized or thawed at a later date, leaving you with the power and the freedom to use those eggs or embryos when you see fit.

Talk to your physician if you have questions about the freezing and storage process to make sure you know all of your options before making your decision. The choice you make is entirely your own and you should be confident and comfortable with your decision.