When you’ve chosen a surrogate to help you grow your family, you may need to ship your embryos to your surrogate’s clinic.
Proper handling and shipping of your embryos will ensure their viability for embryo transfer when they arrive at the clinic.
Contact us online for further guidance on shipping frozen embryos to your surrogate’s clinic. If you already have embryos, we can match you with a surrogate in as little as 1-6 months. View our highly qualified surrogates now.
This article will break down the ins and outs of it, from why it’s needed to the logistics and cost of the entire process.
Shipping Frozen Embryos to Your Surrogate’s Clinic
If you’re working with a surrogate, you may need to ship your frozen embryos to her clinic for the embryo transfer procedure. If your surrogate is located in another state, they likely have their own clinic that’s close to them.
Transferring embryos from one clinic to another makes the process that much easier for your surrogate as they prepare to undertake the life-changing journey of giving you the gift of parenthood.
How to Move Embryos From One Clinic to Another [4 Steps]
These are four steps you can take to begin the frozen embryo shipping journey.
Contact the clinics and initiate the process. Wait for clinics to determine eligibility. Sign the consent paperwork. Establish a shipping method and time.
How these embryos are prepared, packaged and transported plays a big part in ensuring your embryos arrive safely and securely at your surrogate’s clinic.
Why Shipping Frozen Embryos Could Be Needed
Frozen embryos can be transferred to another clinic but you may be wondering why that’s necessary. Freezing embryos is one of the most common ways to preserve fertility and could be needed if:
- You change fertility clinics
- Move and need to transfer your embryos to another clinic
- You need to send them to your surrogate’s clinic.
If your surrogate is located in another state, they likely have their own clinic that’s close to them.
Transferring embryos from one clinic to another that’s closer to them makes the process that much easier for your surrogate as they prepare to undertake the life-changing journey that gives you the gift of parenthood.
How Does Shipping Frozen Embryos to Your Surrogate’s Clinic Work?
Knowing the details of the shipping process may provide you with peace of mind by helping you feel more involved and reassured that your embryos are being handled with care.
However long you have been waiting to become a parent is long enough. Being informed about how the shipping process works, you can get a clearer view of your surrogacy timeline and plan accordingly. Rest assured that the utmost care and consideration is taken when it comes to frozen embryo shipping.
There are federal regulations and guidelines around the transportation of human cells and tissue with the intent of implantation, transplant, infusion or transfer into a human in the U.S.
When it comes to shipping your frozen embryos, here’s a look at what you should take into account:
Your Professional
There are a number of professional services that specifically handle the transfer of embryos to another clinic.
The professional you work with should be registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
You’ll know the services they offer are annually vetted to ensure they are accurate.
Preparation
When it comes to frozen embryo shipping, preparing them for transfer is vital to ensure they are viable once they reach your surrogate’s clinic.
Your embryos are prepared for this journey through vitrification. Vitrification freezes the embryos through a two stage process.
The embryos are first exposed to a cryoprotectant agent that essentially acts like antifreeze, which prevents ice crystals from forming.
The second stage of vitrification places embryos into liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -321 Fahrenheit. Low temperatures stop all cellular activity, preserving the embryos until needed.
Packaging
Frozen embryos are stored inside dry shipper tanks. Shipping frozen embryos in these tanks keep the embryos at the necessary temperature to survive.
Liquid nitrogen that keeps the embryos cool in the dry shipper tank is absorbed by a foam-like material specifically made to act like a sponge, removing the risk for spills or leaks.
Sensors and data loggers can also be put in these tanks so that if any issues arise during transportation, your cryoshipping professional can be informed immediately rather than finding out after arrival.
Transportation
There are professional services that can transport your frozen embryos. These courier services specialize in frozen embryo shipping.
Embryo courier services differ from regular shipping companies because staff typically handles the specimens from drop-off to delivery to your surrogate’s clinic.
They ensure that the dry shipper tanks remain upright and are never passed on to a third party or undergo X-ray scans that can destroy sensitive cells.
The Cost of Shipping Frozen Embryos
Your frozen embryo shipping costs are, on average, $1,000-$3,000.
Determining the cost of shipping your frozen embryos depends on a variety of factors such as
- Administrative fees
- Local deliveries by courier
- Delivery by carrier
- Direct pick up
- And more
If you’re considering surrogacy and your embryos are ready to go, you could be matched with a surrogate in as short as 1-6 months. Get the support you deserve by filling out our online contact form. We’re here for you whenever you need us.