Transporting frozen embryos between fertility clinics in the UK is a regulated process involving specialist equipment, specific documentation, and coordination between two HFEA-licensed facilities.
The equipment used for transport is a vapour-phase nitrogen dry shipper. Before use, the dry shipper is charged by pouring liquid nitrogen into it and allowing the absorbent material to soak it up fully. Once charged, the excess free liquid is poured out, leaving nitrogen absorbed in the matrix. The absorbed nitrogen releases slowly during transport, maintaining internal temperatures at cryogenic levels without any free liquid present.
The absence of free liquid nitrogen means the vessel can be transported without the hazardous materials classifications that apply to containers with free cryogenic liquids, making road courier transport practical.
The process for organising an embryo transfer between two UK clinics involves obtaining written consent from the patient to the transfer, preparing full chain-of-custody documentation, arranging transport with an appropriate courier, and confirming receipt at the destination clinic with storage records updated on both ends.
Both clinics must hold current HFEA licences. Any temperature excursion during transport must be documented and the receiving clinic must assess whether the samples are usable before proceeding with treatment.
Cryolab supplies vapour-phase dry shippers and advises on embryo transport processes for UK fertility clinics. Visit cryolab.co.uk“>Cryolab
