Yes, and for many patients a frozen embryo transfer can now be the stronger option. A decade ago, fresh transfer was considered the benchmark and frozen cycles were seen as a fallback, because older slow-freezing methods damaged a meaningful proportion of embryos. That has changed with vitrification, an ultra-rapid freezing technique that cools embryos so fast they enter a glass-like state without forming the ice crystals that used to harm cells. As a result, embryo survival after warming is now very high, and frozen embryo transfer outcomes are comparable to fresh transfer.
The ESHRE 2026 study, which followed 18,396 women and was published in the journal Human Reproduction, identified this improvement in freezing and warming as one of the core reasons freeze-all treatment has become mainstream. In a freeze-all approach, all viable embryos are frozen after egg collection and transferred in a later cycle, one at a time. This gives two advantages: the clinic can transfer when the womb lining is at its most receptive, rather than during a stimulation cycle when hormone levels are high and can affect implantation, and it supports elective single embryo transfer, which cuts the risk of twin and triplet pregnancies. The HFEA confirms that frozen embryo transfer is now a routine, well-established part of IVF in the UK.
The catch is that all of this depends on the embryo being preserved perfectly from freezing through to warming. A single lapse in the cold chain or a poor-quality freezing process can undo the benefit, which is why laboratories rely on validated, consistent vitrification kits and dependable cryogenic storage. Done well, a patient loses nothing by choosing a frozen transfer, and often gains better timing and greater safety.
