How many frozen embryos thaw well/ become a pregnancy?

[Rosiestraws]

I've strangely struggled to find stats relating to this but I'm sure they're out there...I think maybe I saw 36% of frozen embryos (which are then thawed and implanted) become a baby? But interested in any real life experiences...especially for those aged around 38..

Background is that I've got severly diminished ovarian reserve so usually only got 1 or 2 eggs per cycle. I frozen eggs at 35/36 and have 12 eggs frozen.

Sadly it's looking like my current partner (met after this and knows the background etc) isn't ready to have a baby so I'm planning on seeing if I can freeze embryos with a sperm donor. I'm not emotionally ready to become a single mother by choice right now but definitely would if it was my only option. So I'm thinking the best course of action is to try and get some more eggs and ideally freeze some embryos (if I get that far) and perhaps some more eggs (if it seems like they're still good quality and if I've managed to make embryos iyswim)..

I already know the stats on frozen eggs becoming a baby are poor but struggling to find much about embryos. I know its common now to create embryos for couples doing IVF, do a fresh transfer and freeze the rest and presumably often the fresh transfer doesn't work so the frozen ones are used? What's everyone's experience been like?

Also, do you think/did you do the genetic testing...I guess at 38 there's more chance of downs etc but it seems so much more added money!

TIA

I looked at the following calculator when starting IVF:
https://w3.abdn.ac.uk/clsm/SARTIVF/home/toolintro

It has statistics for first cycle, and another calculator for 2nd cycle of IVF too. Perhaps putting your details might give you a better estimate. It would be interesting to see all the data they have collected to be able to put together a calculator....

Hi, the HFEA have the HFEA dashboard to enable you to access the official data in a more user friendly way here. You can use the birth rate dashboard to find the correct stats for your circumstances.

https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiOWM0N2JhMzYtYmNjMy00ZjJmLWI5MmYtODdmNGFlYmQzNWE1IiwidCI6IjU3ODA1YjhkLTc5MzctNGMyYi1hZjMyLWQxNmE0NzNhZWMyYyIsImMiOjh9

Thanks for those and I'll look at them when I'm at my computer but I would just really appreciate real like experiences too? Like if you had 4 frozen embryos did they all survive the thaw, did they make a baby etc..

Hi, here’s my experience. Also low ovarian reserve but also MFI due to poor morphology.

x5 freezing rounds, ages 31-34, collected 22 eggs which made 7 embryos to freeze- all untested.
FET #1 BFP but then MMC at 9weeks, they think due to chromosomal issues with the embryo.
FET #2 BFN
FET #3 BFP, now 26 weeks pregnant and all looks good.

x4 untested embryos left, although one is poor quality.

good luck!

thanks @Zypig , so it looks like all 3 embryos you've defrosted, did thaw out normally and were able to be used? that's positive!

Congratulations on the pregnancy now!

Hi, yes they all thawed. My understanding is that the vast majority of average to good quality embryos survive thawing nowadays due to using vitrification techniques (i.e. in the region of 95%).

Hi @Rosiestraws
In our case, we froze 2 embryos when I was 35yo, and used them in natural cycle FETs when I was 38yo. Both thawed fine - our Day5 4BB was a BFN and our Day6 4BB is our 3 week old daughter.

Best of luck, and good on you for thinking of different options!

We have only done one FET and that thank god was sucsessful.
5AA embryo day 6 when frozen. Not tested.

All our fresh embryo transfers (x5) also of high grade mostly failed or led to miscarriage so you never know!

Wishing you sucsess.

I was also told thawing is rarely the issue and like a previous poster heard the 95% survival rate statistic.

We did our first FET in December and I’m currently 7 weeks pregnant. I think generally frozen transfers have a slightly better success rate because by the time you transfer, your body has had time to recover from the stress of the egg collection. Whether that’s true or not I’m not sure ! I had to have FET because of OHSS.

Thank you so much for your replies, it helps to know (it seems!) that largely if I get good embryos at 38 then I can freeze them and wait a bit of time (to either meet someone, or just get back into a mental state to do it alone) before I need to use them.

It's all so difficult and worrying.. the really crap thing is I have been one of the few women who have always wanted children and worried about not leaving it too late - literally at around 30 I was worrying about it and if I'd have problems, when all my friends weren't remotely concerned. They've all met people, had their babies (well, one friend is sadly still struggling but everyone else has) and it turns out they were right to not be worried and I was right TO be worried :(

I guess the next thing I have to decide is (if I get any embryos) if I want to genetically test them now or just freeze them.. I've read some threads where people are saying there isn't actually much damage done from the thawing, testing, rethawing situation...but I guess if they're no good then I'll know in advance what I've got saved etc..

Hi @Rosiestraws, just thought I’d add, that while most embryos do survive thawing, testing and rethawing some do not. We considered doing this when we had 5 embryos left and our clinic’s advice was that we should factor in losing one in the process. There is also a cost associated with thawing and refreezing. In hindsight I wish we’d got ours tested initially to avoid the heartache of miscarriage and failed transfer and the time those 2 transfers took (9months) so just thought I’d mention it.

You don’t have to test at all of course. Completely personal decision. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Thanks @Zypig I'm leaning towards testing if I get that far. I would have thought there's more of a chance of losing one or damaging it if you thaw, test, refreeze and then want to thaw again.. if there's a risk every time you thaw then it must be slightly increased by doing that. And saves me wondering if they're any good too I guess..

It's a gamble. I'm not sure there's a right answer, to test or not to test! After two early misscarriages the clinic initially advice me that it may be a good idea to test future embryo's to avoid the heartache. But then in the following cycles I either got no embryo's or only a couple of embryo's. The clinic then changed their advice to me to say that since I don't have a whole bunch of embryos (at least 5-7) it's very risky to test and potentially lose the only two embryo's I had. Thank god the third pregnancy resulted in my DC.
What does your clinic advise?

@Cherryblossom90 I haven't got far enough to ask them! I'll have my first consultation this time around with them next week so I was just trying to get as much info and facts beforehand. I can see your POV too re potentially damaging the embryos.. thanks