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Intended Parents

A Guide to Shipping Frozen Embryos

Shipping frozen embryos could be part of your journey to becoming a parent whether you change clinics or need to ship your embryos to your out-of-state surrogate’s clinic.

With the right professionals, frozen embryo shipping can be a seamless process in getting you top of the line care with the best fertility clinics.

If you don’t have a fertility clinic yet, contact us online. We can connect you with reputable fertility specialists near you.

This article will serve as a comprehensive guide to how to ship frozen embryos, addressing why it might be necessary, the steps involved, the cost and how to find the best frozen embryo shipping companies.

Can Frozen Embryos Be Shipped?

Yes, you can ship frozen embryos. If you are pursuing surrogacy with frozen embryos, then you may need to ship your frozen embryos to your surrogate’s clinic.

Shipping frozen embryos could also be a part of your path to parenthood if you:

Having embryos is an essential part of the surrogacy journey. If you have embryos already, then you can be matched with a surrogate quickly, putting you that much closer to being a parent.

If you don’t have embryos, learn more about freezing embryos. If you have embryos ready to go, you can be matched with a surrogate. Fill out our online contact form today to get started.

How to Ship Frozen Embryos [4 Steps]

When it comes to shipping frozen embryos, it’s important to work with reputable professionals. The choices you make will impact how it plays out but here’s what the process could look like for you:

In addition to contacting the facility where your embryos are currently stored, you’ll need to get in touch with the receiving clinic too. They’ll ask preliminary information to get the process started.

The sending and receiving clinics will have a back and forth, getting the necessary information to figure out if it\'s viable and that both have the necessary credentials.

Consent from both clinics is typically required, from forms authorizing the process to others that establish storage agreements.

Once eligibility is ascertained and the consent forms are good to go, you need to figure out how and when shipping the frozen embryos will take place.

Although frozen embryos can be shipped, it needs to be done carefully to ensure the product is still viable for use at the end of the journey. Talk to your professional how they deal with the following aspects of the journey:

Packaging

It does depend on your professional but shipping frozen embryos is typically done with “dry shipper” tanks.

These tanks have an inner absorbent material that holds the liquid nitrogen while maintaining a certain temperature while the embryos are transported.

Inside these tanks are the frozen embryos, which are stored inside a canister that prevents damage or movement. That canister holds the vials or straws that have the frozen embryos.

Temperature Control

Through vitrification, embryos can be frozen to preserve fertility. Freezing embryos stops all cellular activity, allowing you to thaw and use them when it’s best for you.

Vitrification freezes embryos starting with a cryoprotectant agent that stops ice crystals from forming. Then, they are placed into liquid nitrogen tanks at -321 Fahrenheit.

As an extra layer of protection beyond the packaging designed to keep frozen embryos at a specific temperature, there are sensors and data loggers that can be packaged with the dry shipper tanks to track temperature during transit.

Monitoring During Transit

The sensors and data loggers don’t mean much if there isn’t a way to address the alerts they send out in the event of a temperature drop.

Depending on the frozen embryo shipping service you work with, there are couriers that send personal escorts with the dry shipper tanks.

They not only make sure the container stays upright, but can immediately address any issues with temperature while ensuring the frozen embryos aren’t damaged by processes that may come with the shipping process such as X-ray scans that can destroy sensitive cells. 

Frozen Embryo Shipping Costs

On average, embryo shipping costs can be anywhere from $1,000-$3,000.

The cost of shipping frozen embryos will depend on your circumstances such as your fertility clinic, your insurance coverage, the frozen embryo shipping service you partner with and how far they need to be shipped.

Is It Safe to Transfer Frozen Embryos?

Yes, when done properly, it is safe to transfer frozen embryos with reputable professionals. Freezing embryos doesn’t impact the likelihood of a successful transfer, it’s more about the processes by which the frozen embryos themselves are transported.

Who Can You Ship Frozen Embryos With? [Choosing a Professional]

Shipping frozen embryos can be nerve-wracking. You’re putting the embryos that can help make your dreams of becoming a parent come true in the hands of someone else.

That’s why it’s important to choose a reputable professional when it comes to frozen embryo shipping.  

In the U.S. the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates human cells or tissues that are used to implant, transplant, infuse or transfer into another human.

Any professional involved with shipping frozen embryos, including the recovery, processing, storage, labeling, packaging, or distribution of human tissue and cells, has to be registered with the FDA.

When you are looking for a professional that takes care of the frozen embryo shipping itself, you’ll want to know what they do in order to make sure your embryos are transported safely and securely beyond being registered with the FDA.

Consider asking them about these questions and how they address them.

  1. 1

    What steps do I need to take to work with your company?

  2. 2

    What is your process for storing and frozen embryo shipping?

  3. 3

    How much do your services cost?

  4. 4

    How long will transportation take?

  5. 5

    What documents do I need?

  6. 6

    What happens in the event of an accident?

    Can You Transport Your Own Frozen Embryos?

    Yes, transporting your own frozen embryos is possible. Some fertility clinics allow you to rent the specialized storage tanks for an additional cost and if you’re only transporting them a short distance, then it could make the process cheaper for you too.

    Get in touch with us today to learn more about moving your embryos to your surrogate’s clinic or to get connected with a clinic for IVF and surrogacy.

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