Embryo Freezing Cost in Turkey: Is It Included in IVF and What Are the Extra Fees?
Manar Hegazy
Majd Eddin Khaled
When patients receive an IVF quotation in Turkey, they may assume that embryo freezing and long-term storage are automatically included.
That is not always the case.
An IVF package may cover stimulation monitoring, egg retrieval, anesthesia, ICSI, embryology, and fresh embryo transfer while embryo freezing, storage, and later frozen embryo transfer (FET) are charged separately.
Cost can also vary according to the number of embryos, storage units required, duration of storage, and whether the treatment involves PGT or a freeze-all strategy.
Fertiliv helps international patients understand these individual cost components before treatment begins.
1. What Is Embryo Freezing?
After eggs are retrieved and fertilized in the embryology laboratory, resulting embryos are monitored as they develop.
Suitable embryos can be cryopreserved using vitrification and stored at very low temperatures for future use.
Freezing may be used in several situations.
Extra Embryos After Fresh Transfer
A suitable embryo may be transferred while other appropriate embryos are frozen for later treatment.
Freeze-All
In some cycles, no fresh embryo is transferred and all suitable embryos are frozen.
Reasons can include:
OHSS risk
Endometrial conditions
Hormonal findings
PGT
Other medical reasons to postpone transfer
Two-Stage Treatment
The first visit may involve retrieval, fertilization, embryo development, and freezing.
A later visit can then be used for FET.
Embryo freezing therefore does not necessarily indicate a problem; it may be a planned part of treatment.
2. Is Embryo Freezing Included in IVF Cost?
It depends on the treatment package.
Under the current IVF/ICSI with fresh transfer pathway coordinated through Fertiliv, embryo freezing is separate from the basic price when required.
Other clinics may structure packages differently.
A quotation may:
Include initial freezing
Include freezing but not longer-term storage
Charge according to storage units
Separate freezing and storage completely
What Does the Current Basic IVF Plan Include?
The current IVF/ICSI plan with fresh transfer when medically appropriate is approximately USD 3,700 cash.
Depending on the agreed plan, it includes:
Treatment monitoring
Ultrasound
Selected monitoring hormones
Egg retrieval
Anesthesia
ICSI
Cycle-related embryology
Fresh transfer when appropriate
Medication, embryo freezing, storage, PGT, and surgical sperm-retrieval procedures can be separate when required.
3. How Much Do Embryo Freezing and Storage Cost?
Under the current coordinated pricing:
Freezing the first 1–2 storage units: approximately USD 450
Two additional units: approximately USD 125
Annual storage after the first year: approximately USD 320
Prices and the precise included storage period should be reconfirmed before treatment.
Why Can Storage Units Affect Cost?
Embryos are not necessarily stored together in one unit.
The number of storage units may depend on:
Number of embryos
Laboratory strategy
How embryos are distributed
Future transfer planning
A patient with one or two embryos may therefore have a different freezing cost from someone with a larger number.
Does the Number of Fertilized Eggs Equal the Number Frozen?
No.
The pathway is:
Retrieved eggs → mature eggs → fertilized eggs → developing embryos → embryos suitable for freezing
Numbers commonly decrease along this pathway.
Final freezing cost may therefore not be known until embryo development is assessed.
4. Are There Annual Storage Fees?
Yes.
Cryopreservation is not simply a one-time fee with indefinite storage and no further administrative requirements.
Official Turkish information states that couples need to renew their request for continued embryo storage after the first year.
Turkish rules also establish a standard storage period of up to five years, with longer storage subject to Ministry approval.
Patients should ask:
How much storage time is included initially?
When do annual fees begin?
How is consent renewed?
What happens if contact information changes?
What are the requirements after several years?
5. What Does It Cost to Use a Frozen Embryo Later?
A patient with a stored embryo generally does not need another stimulation and egg-retrieval cycle simply to use that embryo.
Instead, treatment proceeds through frozen embryo transfer (FET).
The current FET pathway coordinated through Fertiliv is approximately:
USD 1,700
and may include:
Cycle preparation
Ultrasound
E2, LH, and progesterone monitoring
Embryo thaw
Embryo transfer
Is FET the Same as the Freezing Fee?
No.
These are separate cost stages:
Embryo freezing
Preserves embryos after IVF.
Storage
Keeps them cryopreserved over time.
FET
Prepares the patient, thaws an embryo, and transfers it in a later cycle.
This distinction is important when comparing total IVF cost.
6. How Does PGT Affect Embryo-Freezing Cost?
PGT often makes embryo freezing an important part of the treatment pathway.
After embryo biopsy, embryos are typically frozen while the genetic laboratory completes testing.
The treatment pathway may therefore include:
IVF/ICSI
Embryo biopsy
Genetic testing
Embryo freezing
Storage
Later FET
Current PGT-A Pricing
Current coordinated pricing is approximately:
Embryo biopsy: USD 560 per cycle
PGT-A: USD 450 per embryo
The number of embryos tested therefore directly affects total cost.
What About PGT-M?
For a known monogenic condition, customized test preparation may be required.
Current setup cost is approximately:
USD 2,500 for up to 12 embryos
with biopsy and other treatment components calculated according to the plan.
Read IVF with PGT-A and PGT-M in Istanbul.
7. Can Frozen Embryos Be Moved to Another Center?
Transfer between licensed facilities can be possible subject to applicable procedures.
Official Turkish guidance describes requirements including written applications, documentation of delivery and receipt, appropriate transport equipment, and the requesting party bearing transfer responsibility and cost.
Patients may consider transfer because of:
Moving to another city
Changing treatment providers
Planning FET elsewhere
Other logistical reasons
Cryopreserved embryos cannot be moved like an ordinary medical record.
Transport requires an appropriate cryogenic container, chain-of-custody procedures, laboratory coordination, and documentation.
8. How Should You Calculate the Real Cost of Embryo Freezing?
Do not calculate only the freezing fee.
Scenario 1: Fresh Transfer With Additional Frozen Embryos
The total may include:
IVF/ICSI + medication + freezing of remaining embryos + storage
FET is paid later when a frozen embryo is used.
Scenario 2: Freeze-All
The pathway becomes:
IVF/ICSI + medication + freezing + storage + FET
Scenario 3: PGT
The pathway may become:
IVF/ICSI + medication + biopsy + PGT + freezing + storage + FET
The more meaningful comparison is therefore the cost through embryo transfer, rather than stopping at egg retrieval.
Questions to Ask Before Paying
Is embryo freezing included in IVF?
How many storage units are included?
What do additional units cost?
Is the first year of storage included?
What is the annual storage fee afterward?
What happens if the cycle changes from fresh transfer to freeze-all?
What does FET cost?
Is embryo thaw included in FET?
Does PGT add separate freezing costs?
What happens to embryos that are not used?
How is storage consent renewed?
Can embryos later be transferred to another center?
These questions provide a much more useful comparison than the freezing fee alone.
Conclusion
Embryo freezing in Turkey is not automatically included in every IVF package. Recent Turkish treatment-cost guidance also shows that IVF quotations vary according to whether services such as ICSI, embryo freezing, storage, and FET are included or charged separately.
Under the current plan coordinated through Fertiliv, freezing the first 1–2 storage units is approximately USD 450, two additional units are approximately USD 125, and annual storage after the first year is approximately USD 320.
The full financial picture may also include FET, PGT, longer-term storage, or embryo transport.
The best question is therefore not simply “How much does embryo freezing cost?” but “What will it cost from creating the embryo through storing and eventually transferring it?”
Frequently Asked Questions: Embryo Freezing Cost in Turkey: Is It Included in IVF and What Are the Extra Fees?
Is Embryo Freezing Included in IVF?
Not always. Under the current plan described here, freezing is charged separately when required.
How Much Does Embryo Freezing Cost?
Current pricing is approximately USD 450 for the first 1–2 storage units and USD 125 for two additional units.
Are There Annual Storage Fees?
Yes. Current annual storage after the first year is approximately USD 320.
Is FET Included in Embryo-Freezing Fees?
No. FET is a separate stage and the current plan is approximately USD 1,700.
Why Might I Need Freeze-All?
Possible reasons include OHSS risk, endometrial factors, hormonal findings, PGT, or another medical reason to postpone transfer.
Does PGT Require Embryo Freezing?
When embryos are biopsied and genetic results must be awaited, freezing becomes an important part of the treatment pathway.
How Long Can Embryos Be Stored in Turkey?
Storage requires ongoing renewal, and Turkish rules provide for a standard period of up to five years, with longer storage requiring additional approval.
Can Frozen Embryos Be Moved to Another Center?
Yes, subject to applicable regulatory, documentation, laboratory, and transport requirements.