IVF CRYO, LLC, which is a leading reproductive tissue transport company that is based out of Fishers, Indiana, is going ahead and raising awareness regarding the critical need for safe embryos and eggs shipping, as well as sperm, throughout the United States as well as internationally. As more families opt for fertility treatments, IVF CRYO is raising attention to a rising gap when it comes to the patient understanding and also the industry regulation around how the reproductive tissue gets moved between clinics.

According to the co-founder of IVF CRYO, Don Fish, there are many people who assume that their embryos get transported with the same care as the medical treatment; however, that’s not always the case. Safe Embryos and Eggs Shipping is one element that is often overlooked. And when it gets handled poorly, it puts years of effort as well as hope at immense risk.

A Crucial Issue With Very Little Visibility

Every year, there are tens of thousands of IVF cycles, which involve transporting embryos, eggs, or sperm between the clinics. Still, there are many patients who are unaware of how slim and fragile that process can be. As per the data from the CDC, more than 91,000 babies were born by way of assisted reproductive technology – ART in 2021 in the U.S. alone. Many of these cases involved storage or shipment at some stage or the other.

According to Fish, there are still clinics that are trying to handle it themselves, or worse, they are making use of general couriers. He adds that they have witnessed cases where there wasn’t any sort of temperature monitoring that was done, nor was there a chain-of-custody tracking, and also no clear accountability. This indeed isn’t acceptable for what is basically somebody’s future child.

Fish goes on to note that IVF CRYO mostly fields questions from patients who really are not aware who is shipping their reproductive tissue or how it is getting handled. He added that one couple had one embryo left after years of trying, and they had literally no idea how it was getting moved, and that’s quite a massive red flag.

The Requirement for National Standards

At present, there aren’t any universal protocols or even oversight bodies that are dedicated to the reproductive tissue transport in the U.S., hence leaving the responsibility scattered throughout clinics and labs as well as third-party services. This goes on to create inconsistency-and at times, in some cases, risk as well.

Fish says that they would like to see certain clear national guidelines, not to slow down the process but rather to make sure that the process turns safe and transparent as well as consistent. The fact is that every patient deserves to know that their tissue is getting handled the way it should be.

Unless and until that takes place, Fish believes that the responsibility clearly falls on businesses like his so as to raise the benchmark and educate the public.

The point here is that transport is not an afterthought, but it is a mission-critical step when it comes to someone's fertility journey, and it has to be treated that way.

Call to Action – What are patients and clinics doing now?

IVF CRYO wants patients and clinics to take a much more active role in understanding how the reproductive tissue gets moved. As per Fish, there are a few recommendations, such as

• Ask who is the one transporting the tissue.
• Ask how it is getting tracked during transport.
• Ask to see the process and experience of the company transporting it.
• Ask for a brochure or any protocol sheet.
• Ask if they have been involved in this kind of move before.

Fish opines that one doesn’t need to be a shipping expert but just ask the right set of questions. alone can help avoid a major issue.

IVF CRYO is Not Asking for Attention But for Accountability

IVF is not trying to be everywhere, but they are trying to be the company that the people trust when it matters the most. If others raise their benchmarks as well, that is even better, says Fish. At the end of the day, they are not competing with each other, but they are indeed working to protect the future families.