Love split IVF couples throw away thousands of frozen embryos, study finds
Thousands of embryos frozen at IVF clinics are being thrown away when couples divorce, a study has found.
Two-thirds of couples who separate after having fertility treatment opt for their remaining embryos to be discarded.
Freezing embryos for storage in the IVF process enables them to be used if a cycle is unsuccessful and couples need to try again, or if they want more children later.
When both partners have contributed to the egg but cannot reach a joint decision about keeping stored embryos when they separate, a 12 month cooling-off period begins. If they still fail to agree, the embryo is discarded.
When only one partner has contributed to the egg with a donor, he or she retains authority over consent, including the right to withdraw permission for the ex-partner to use the embryo.
The researchers examined records at the London Women’s Clinic’s records between 2019 and last year.
They found 141 couples who had stored an embryo there had separated. Of these, 66 per cent opted for them to be discarded with one in five opting to keep them, while 4.2 per cent donated them to their ex-partner.
Some embryos were donated to other couples having treatment.
A man and woman look animated as they argue with one another while sat on a sofa
Researchers from the LWC said the findings ‘highlight the emotional, ethical and legal complexities of consent after separation’.
Writing in the online journal Reproductive Biomedicine, they said: ‘When couples separate, cryopreserved embryos often become sources of conflict… with most couples choosing to discard stored embryos rather than donate or retain them.
‘With regulatory changes allowing storage for up to 55 years, clinicians are increasingly faced with complex scenarios involving long-term reproductive potential, evolving partner dynamics, and legal consent.
‘Clinics should provide counselling at intervals during storage, and specifically at the point of relationship breakdown.’
The researchers said the decision may be a form of closure, adding that ending a relationship ‘can feel like letting go’ while discarding embryos can carry a ‘more intimate sense of ending a potential life’.
In 2024, 53,000 people had fertility treatment in the UK – a number which has trebled since the 1990s. Around three per cent of babies today born are from IVF treatment.
