FET Meaning in Tamil: What Is Frozen Embryo Transfer?

FET meaning in Tamil — quick answers

What does FET mean?

FET stands for Frozen Embryo Transfer. In Tamil it is உறைய வைக்கப்பட்ட கரு மாற்றம் (uraiya vaikkappatta karu maatram). An embryo created by IVF is frozen, stored, and placed in the uterus in a later cycle.

FET மற்றும் IVF வித்தியாசம் என்ன? (How is FET different from IVF?)

IVF is the whole process of making embryos outside the body. FET is one way of transferring those embryos: instead of transferring a "fresh" embryo a few days after egg collection, the embryo is frozen and transferred in a separate, later cycle when the uterus is ready.

Is a frozen embryo transfer successful?

Yes. Success rates for frozen transfers are now equal to, and in many patients better than, fresh transfers, because the uterus has recovered from the stimulation medicines and the lining can be prepared precisely.

Is FET painful?

No. The transfer itself takes a few minutes, uses a thin soft catheter passed through the cervix, and feels similar to a Pap smear. No anaesthesia is needed.

How long after FET can I take a pregnancy test?

A blood test for beta-hCG is done about 10 to 14 days after the transfer. Home urine tests before then can be misleading.

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FET என்றால் என்ன? (What is FET?)

IVF சிகிச்சையில், பெண்ணின் கருமுட்டைகளும் ஆணின் விந்தணுக்களும் ஆய்வகத்தில் இணைக்கப்பட்டு கருக்கள் (embryos) உருவாக்கப்படுகின்றன. இந்தக் கருக்களை உடனடியாக கருப்பையில் வைக்காமல், உறைய வைத்து (freeze) பாதுகாத்து, பின்னர் ஒரு தனி மாதவிடாய் சுழற்சியில் கருப்பையில் வைப்பதே Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) ஆகும்.

In plain terms: the embryos made during your IVF cycle are frozen using a rapid technique called vitrification, stored safely in liquid nitrogen, and transferred to the uterus in a later month.

Why are embryos frozen instead of transferred straight away?

• Better uterine environment. The hormone injections used to grow eggs can make the lining of the uterus less receptive in the same cycle. Waiting a month lets the body return to normal.
• Safety. In women at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), freezing all embryos avoids the pregnancy hormones that make OHSS worse.
• Genetic testing. When embryos are tested (PGT-A), results take time, so the embryos are frozen while waiting.
• Spare embryos. Good-quality embryos left over after a fresh transfer are frozen for future attempts or a future child, without repeating egg collection.

How a frozen embryo transfer works, step by step

1. Preparing the lining. From day two or three of your period, you take oestrogen tablets or patches for about two weeks to thicken the endometrium. Some patients use a "natural cycle" FET that follows your own ovulation instead.
2. Monitoring. Two or three ultrasound scans check that the lining has reached about 7 to 8 mm with a healthy three-line pattern.
3. Progesterone. Once the lining is ready, progesterone (injections, vaginal gel or pessaries) is started to make the lining receptive. The transfer day is fixed by counting from the day progesterone starts.
4. Thawing. On the morning of transfer the embryo is thawed in the laboratory. With vitrification, more than 95 percent of good-quality embryos survive thawing.
5. Transfer. Under ultrasound guidance the embryologist loads the embryo into a fine catheter and the doctor places it in the uterus. It takes five to ten minutes and you can go home the same day.
6. The two-week wait. You continue progesterone and take a blood pregnancy test 10 to 14 days later. If positive, progesterone usually continues until about 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

FET வெற்றி விகிதம் (FET success rate)

Success depends mostly on the woman's age at the time the eggs were collected and on embryo quality. For a good-quality blastocyst in a woman under 35, the chance of a live birth from a single frozen transfer is commonly in the range of 40 to 50 percent. Because several embryos can be frozen from one egg collection, the cumulative chance over two or three transfers is considerably higher.

Common questions

How long can embryos stay frozen? Embryos have produced healthy babies after more than 20 years in storage. Freezing time does not reduce quality.

Does FET cause any harm to the baby? Large studies show babies born from frozen transfers are as healthy as those from fresh transfers, with a slightly lower rate of low birth weight.

Can I do FET without any injections? Often yes. A natural-cycle FET uses your own ovulation and needs little or no medication; your fertility specialist will advise whether your cycles are regular enough for it.

At Iswarya Hospital's fertility centre in OMR, Chennai, embryo freezing by vitrification and frozen embryo transfer are routine parts of IVF care. Our reproductive medicine team will explain the option that fits your cycle and your circumstances, in Tamil or English.