What looks like “easy money” on the surface, is much like an iceberg with 90% of its mass comprised of liabilities below the surface. There is a lot more to embryo storage than feeding liquid nitrogen to a storage tank.
The ultimate truth is that embryo storage results in abandoned embryos, this is true for any IVF Center, Cryobank, or Embryology Laboratory. The rate at which embryos become abandoned occurs faster in clinics which don’t have the protocols and dedicated staff to stay on top of the business.
In today’s busy transient society, simply keeping track of patients for two or more years post-treatment is a big task. This is actually even truer for the growing number of oncology patients who are banking sperm, embryos, oocytes or ovariantissue and who may store those tissues for 10-30 years.
The bottom line is embryos turn from assets to liabilities everyday across the country. What was once perceived as a revenue stream quickly turns into a liability when no one is watching, especially when abandoned embryos are not dealt with accurately, consistently and timely.