After Alabama ruling, doctors warn that freezing embryos is essential for IVF

After Alabama’s state Supreme Court ruling on IVF, doctors are warning that women using in vitro fertilization and their babies could face major health risks — and young cancer patients could lose the chance to build a future family — if fertility clinics stop using frozen embryos.

“That is a possible reality,” said Dr. Irene Dimitriadis, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at the Mass General Fertility Center in Boston. “It hurts me to think of it because that means we’re kind of going backwards in medicine.”

The court ruled last week that embryos created by IVF are considered children, sparking concerns that embryos that are destroyed or damaged could lead to civil liability. Now some Alabama fertility clinics are halting operations, leaving patients in emotional limbo, as clinics and doctors in other states brace for what they fear will be similar rulings or legislation.

Doctors say they’ve been using frozen embryos for more than 15 years because it’s the safest method for women trying to conceive through IVF.

“The reason we are freezing embryos is to help ensure the health of the woman and the pregnancy and for the babies,” said Dr. Zev Williams, a fertility expert at Columbia University Fertility Center. “There are many cases where it is healthier for the pregnancy, the future child and for the mother to have embryos frozen.”

Freezing embryos for IVF became standard practice after the development of vitrification, a fast-freezing process that is safer for the embryo. While there’s still a risk of damage during the thawing process, doctors say there are fewer complications than the only other option, using fresh embryos.

About 2% of babies are conceived using assisted-reproductive technology in