Frozen vs Fresh Embryo Transfer: Results, Timing and Travel

Many people start IVF expecting an embryo transfer a few days after egg collection, then hear their clinic suggest freezing everything instead. One patient summed up the reasons she was given:

This guide explains how fresh and frozen transfers compare, how many embryos are usually transferred, how the timing works, and what each option means if you are travelling to China for treatment. It is general information. The choice for your cycle is one your fertility doctor makes with you.

Is a frozen embryo transfer as successful as a fresh one?

On average, the results are broadly similar, so neither method is better for everyone. In China's national registry data for 2016, published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2020, the clinical pregnancy rate was 52.1% per fresh IVF transfer and 50.2% per frozen transfer, and the delivery rate was 42.9% and 39.8%. These are national averages from 133 reporting centres, not a prediction for any one patient, and the people having each type of transfer were not the same.

A fresh transfer saves a few weeks and one extra procedure, and some doctors favour it when there are only a few embryos. A frozen transfer is usually advised when there is a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), when embryos are being tested, or when hormone levels after stimulation are not ideal for the lining. Practice also differs by country:

Should one or two embryos be transferred?

For most people, transferring one embryo at a time is the safer choice, because two embryos raise the chance of twins, and twin pregnancies carry higher risks for both mother and babies. Transferring two does not double the chance of a baby.

China sets legal limits. The national technical rules allow no more than 3 embryos per transfer cycle, and no more than 2 for women under 35 in their first cycle. In the 2016 registry data, the average was 1.87 embryos per fresh IVF transfer, and the multiple pregnancy rate was 33.0% after fresh transfers and 29.4% after frozen ones. Ask the hospital how many embryos it would recommend for you and why. Parents who have been through a twin pregnancy are often frank about what it involves:

How long does a frozen transfer take, and how long can embryos stay frozen?

A frozen transfer is done in a later cycle, after the lining has been prepared, and the transfer itself takes only minutes. Embryos grow in the lab for 2 to 6 days before they are transferred or frozen, according to the UK fertility regulator. With modern freezing, embryos can be stored for years, but storage fees and limits are set by each hospital and by local law, so ask for them in writing.

In China, the transfer is billed separately from egg collection. Shanghai caps the embryo transfer at CNY 2,500 (≈ USD 370) with an extra CNY 1,240 (≈ USD 190) for a frozen-thawed embryo (2024). Chongqing lists about CNY 2,091 (≈ USD 310) plus CNY 960 (≈ USD 140) for a frozen embryo (2024). Freezing and storage are priced by each hospital. Agency price lists for foreign patients put a frozen transfer at about CNY 10,000 (≈ USD 1,500) extra (2026), which includes more than the procedure itself. Foreign patients pay the full price, since Chinese insurance covers only insured residents.

How many egg retrievals are usually needed before a transfer?

Many people transfer after a single retrieval, but some do two or more retrievals first to build up embryos, especially when they are older or produce few eggs. In one case reported by Chinese media in 2024, a couple who had failed IVF in France had two egg retrievals in China, in July and October, before their transfer. Your doctor's estimate of how many embryos one retrieval will give is the best guide to whether you will need another.

Can monitoring scans be done at home while doing IVF abroad?

Some clinics abroad let patients have stimulation scans and blood tests at home and travel only for retrieval and transfer. Whether Chinese public hospitals accept monitoring from your home country is something we could not confirm, so ask before you plan around it. Patients who have tried split monitoring abroad warn that the dates move:

The UK regulator says one IVF cycle usually takes 3 to 6 weeks. Agency guides suggest 14 to 18 days in China for a fresh transfer, or 8 to 10 days for retrieval with all embryos frozen and a transfer on a later trip (2026). A real cross-border case in Guangzhou, reported in 2026, took about 3 months and 7 to 8 hospital visits from first visit to confirmed pregnancy. Visa-free entry for UK, Canadian and Australian citizens is up to 30 days and does not list medical treatment as a purpose, and US citizens have only a 240-hour transit option, so check the visa route for your stay.

Can embryos be moved to a different clinic?

Within the US, UK, Canada and Australia, frozen embryos are often shipped between clinics. Moving embryos out of China is different: we found no published route that foreign patients can rely on, so plan to have your transfers at the hospital that created your embryos, and ask the hospital in writing about storage and any transfer options before you start.