taking cryo'd embryos from SG to another clinic myself?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone "hand delivered" your cryo'd embryos to another clinic? Do clinics allow this? I don't trust shipping them through a company, so I would want to take them in my car. Is this even allowed?

[Anonymous]

I moved frozen sperm from Shady Grove to Columbia Fertility, which i think is very similar. The staff at Columbia rented me the container -- i dont remember if there was a fee but if so it was small I did have to give them a check for $800 in case I didnt come back with the container. I made arrangements with both clinic's cryopreservation staff to day and rough time for the pick-up. When I arrived at Shady Grove they put me in a consult room; a staffer took the tank and came back when it was done. Really all I did was drive to Columbia, pick-up tank, drive to Shady Grove, talk to reception, sit in a room, and then drive back to Columbia, easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved frozen sperm from Shady Grove to Columbia Fertility, which i think is very similar. The staff at Columbia rented me the container -- i dont remember if there was a fee but if so it was small I did have to give them a check for $800 in case I didnt come back with the container. I made arrangements with both clinic's cryopreservation staff to day and rough time for the pick-up. When I arrived at Shady Grove they put me in a consult room; a staffer took the tank and came back when it was done. Really all I did was drive to Columbia, pick-up tank, drive to Shady Grove, talk to reception, sit in a room, and then drive back to Columbia, easy peasy.

I should clarify, the $800 was only a deposit. They gave it back to men when everything was done.

[Anonymous]

You used a nitrogen tank to transport them?

That's what I'd like to do since it seems the safest way to go:

https://www.fertilityiq.com/topics/egg-freezing/is-it-safe-to-ship-cryopreserved-eggs-and-embryos

[Anonymous]

I took my embryos from one facility to another. I literally buckled the tank in the back seat! It just took some coordination and like $250 for handling fees. I’m pregnant now with one of the frosties.

[Anonymous]

I did this, too. Definitely doable!

[Anonymous]

I don't think you personally transporting them would be an issue as long as you arrange to rent the tank. But you should make sure that the clinic that you want to move to will take embryos from other clinics. We had several frozen embryos that we moved from Cornell to Fairfax Cryobank since we already had sperm there and it would be the same storage fee with embryos too, and when we discussed doing an FET with Shady Grove they told us they do not take outside embryos.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! I hope this other clinic will take them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took my embryos from one facility to another. I literally buckled the tank in the back seat! It just took some coordination and like $250 for handling fees. I’m pregnant now with one of the frosties.

Same here. I moved my eggs and embryos from SG to CCRM Northern Virginia and drove them myself. Also buckled the tank in the back seat. Most nerve-wracking drive of my life! Currently pregnant.