Shipping Frozen Embryos Internationally

Knowing how to ship frozen embryos internationally can alleviate some of the concerns you have with your embryos being so far away. Here’s a complete guide to the process and what it means for your journey.

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Shipping frozen embryos internationally involves careful planning and precise procedures to ensure their safety and viability.

The steps and regulations involved ensure that your embryos are transported safely and securely across borders, minimizing risks and delays. Understanding the precautions that are taken can give you peace of mind on your path to parenthood.

This article will delve into why you might need to do it, how you can select a professional that handles your needs, the cost and the legality.

Can You Ship Frozen Embryos Internationally?

Yes, shipping frozen embryos internationally is possible.

Shipping embryos internationally may be something you need to do if:

You are moving out of the country and want to take your embryos with you.

You are using donor eggs or sperm from another country but want to have your fertility treatment in the U.S.

You are going out of the country for fertility treatments but have frozen embryos in the U.S. you want to use for treatment.

Are There Laws for Transporting Frozen Embryos Internationally

Understanding the legal aspects, both locally and abroad are an important part of shipping embryos internationally.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates human cells or tissues used with the intention to be implanted, transplanted, infused or transferred into a human in the U.S.

Any professional outside the U.S. that imports human cells and tissue into their country has to follow these regulations and conduct any testing in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) certified lab.

Transporting Frozen Embryos Internationally [5 Steps]

Step 1: Notify the clinics.
Step 2: Complete the necessary paperwork.
Step 3: Verify receiving clinic’s requirements.
Step 4: Select a courier service.
Step 5: Prepare embryos for transport.

Transporting embryos is a delicate operation that, when done correctly, has no negative effect on the embryo's ability to create a pregnancy once thawed successfully.

Choosing a professional who can transfer frozen embryos to another country may seem daunting at first glance. But knowing what goes into transporting frozen embryos can help you select a professional.

Packaging and temperature are crucial for embryo shipping, but especially when it comes to shipping embryos internationally.

Packaging

Frozen embryos are shipped inside canisters that prevent damage or movement. These canisters are placed into cryogenic shipping tanks that hold the embryos at extremely low temperatures, allowing them to survive the journey.

Packaging matters whether it’s transporting frozen embryos internationally or to a local clinic and if you use a cryoshipping service, you’ll want to ask how they handle the embryos in regards to their shipping tanks and cooling method.

Temperature

Regulating temperature is vital for keeping the embryos viable for use.

Embryos are frozen through vitrification which has the first stage protect the embryos by exposing them to a cryoprotectant agent that acts like antifreeze, preventing ice crystals from forming.

The second stage of vitrification has those embryos immediately placed into liquid nitrogen at -321 Fahrenheit. Storing the frozen embryos at low temperatures stops all cellular activity, preserving the embryos until needed.

Temperature is not only regulated by liquid nitrogen in the cryogenic shopping tanks, but monitored by sensors and data loggers that can be packaged with the shipping tanks to track the temperature.

When choosing a cryoshipping service, ask about how they are able to monitor and correct temperatures related issues when shipping frozen embryos internationally.