Specimen Safety, Storage, and Termination

Duke Fertility Center can freeze your specimen for long-term storage, however, we do not store specimens onsite long term. Once frozen, we will ship your specimen to a storage facility, where it will remain frozen indefinitely or until you are ready to use it. For more information, please call us at 919-572-4673 and press option 1 then press option 5.

If you have specimens stored at Duke Fertility Center and would like to dispose of them, please complete the Embryo Storage Termination Form, Embryo Storage Termination Form (Genetically Tested Embryos) and/or the Sperm Storage Termination Form, and return it to Duke Fertility Center.

Please contact our Embryology Laboratory directly if information regarding embryos is required.

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Tanks storing your eggs and/or embryos are continuously monitored through a system that tracks the amount of liquid nitrogen present in tanks, as well as the temperature of the storage facility. This technology helps prevent temperature fluctuations and other errors that could result in the loss of eggs or embryos.

We use the RI Witness platform in our assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories to ensure your safety, and the accuracy of our procedures. The RI Witness platform is an electronic witnessing system designed to enhance the safety and security of all laboratory processes involved in fertility treatments. This innovative technology uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track and record every step of the ART process, ensuring that samples are correctly identified and handled with the utmost precision.

The RI Witness platform assigns a unique RFID tag to each specimen container. This RFID tag links back to each patient. These tags are then tracked throughout every stage of the laboratory process, from sample collection to fertilization, embryo culture, and transfer. The system automatically monitors and records the movement and handling of samples, alerting laboratory staff to any potential errors or mismatches in real-time. This ensures that only the correct samples are used for you, eliminating the risk of mix-ups and enhancing overall safety.