In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is a fertility treatment which involves stimulating of the ovaries to produce a good number of eggs. Unfortunately, the process of stimulating the ovaries may disrupt the endometrium and could impact negatively on the implantation and pregnancy rate, if the embryos are transferred within days after Oocyte Pick-Up (OPU) [1].

In order to circumvent this problem, elective frozen embryo transfer (FET) has gained popularity for several years now. This involves freezing the embryos (also known as embryo cryopreservation), which is then later thawed and transferred into the uterus with minimal or no hormonal intervention. Studies have reported evidences supporting elective FET in reducing the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation (OHSS) and achieving higher pregnancy rate [2].

However, the effectiveness of this strategy is only as good as the health and survival rate of the embryos after they have been frozen and thawed. The process of freezing and thawing may cause injury and even affect the survival of the embryos. Having an efficient and effective freeze-thaw technology is therefore essential in maximising the chances of pregnancy in a FET programme. The freeze-thaw survival rate for the year 2022* (most recent year) is as follows.

Our Freeze-Thaw Survival Rate:

With our freeze-thaw technology, Alpha IVF Centre (Singapore) has achieved post-thaw survival rate of 99.3% in 2022*.

Table 1: Alpha IVF Centre (Singapore)’s Post-Thaw Survival Rate Year 2022*

*Data are collected as at 10 December 2022, at the time of writing.
** Post-Thaw Survival Rate is calculated by the number of embryos survived divided by the number of embryos thawed. Embryos included cleavage day embryos and blastocysts.

References:

[1] Shapiro, B. S., Daneshmand, S. T., Garner, F. C., Aguirre, M., Hudson, C., & Thomas, S. (2011). Evidence of impaired endometrial receptivity after ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization: A prospective randomized trial comparing fresh and frozen–thawed embryo transfer in normal responders. Fertility and Sterility, 96(2), 344– 348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.05.050

[2] Jemma Evans, Natalie J. Hannan, Tracey A. Edgell, Beverley J. Vollenhoven, Peter J. Lutjen, Tiki Osianlis, Lois A. Salamonsen, Luk J.F. Rombauts, Fresh versus frozen embryo transfer: backing clinical decisions with scientific and clinical evidence, Human Reproduction Update, Volume 20, Issue 6, November/December 2014, Pages 808–821, https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmu027