Some Kindbody patients say they weren't notified about frozen embryos being shipped to storage facility in Massachusetts

Patients at a Chicago-area IVF provider say there's been massive confusion about whether their precious frozen embryos are being shipped to a storage facility more than 1,000 miles away.

It all started with an email that went to some patients last week.

The email said that Kindbody had entered into an agreement with a cryogenic storage facility in Massachusetts. The problem is that not everyone got it, and that's when the panic set in for some patients.

"When you put your heart in somebody's hands, and you trust them with your family and your future," said patient Lauren Soyk.

She battled through 12 rounds of in vitro fertilization at Kindbody—a health-tech IVF start-up with several offices in the Chicago area, including West Loop and Wicker Park.

"So much of it was out of pocket. We ended up selling our house and living with my parents for a year, and every bit of it was worth it because we have our beautiful daughter," Soyk said.

Another patient, Olivia Blackert, can sympathize with the daily injections, medications, and uncertainty that can come with IVF. She suffered a miscarriage and stillbirth before welcoming her son last year.

"I always said that I wasn't gonna cry when I gave birth, and me and my husband both bawled like little babies," Blackert said.

So to them, their remaining embryos, possible siblings to their kids that are currently frozen at Kindbody, are priceless.

"We will do anything and move heaven and earth to protect our embryos," Soyk said.

So when screenshots of emails started floating around online that Kindbody embryos were being shipped to the New England Cryogenic Center in Massachusetts, confusion sat in for Blackert. Soyk said she found out through a Facebook group.

Soyk called Kindbody and said an employee told her nothing was being moved. But when she called the Massachusetts facility, an employee said they were. Blackert was also in the dark.

"Maybe you know, I just missed the email, and they sent something on the portal, and I just didn't see it. So I got on the portal—there's nothing there," Blackert said.

A KindBody spokesperson confirmed that the company entered into an agreement with the Massachusetts center to provide long-term cryogenic storage. They said all patients should have received both an email and a message in their patient portal. It's unclear why some patients like Soyk and Blackert didn't.

While experts in the field tell us long-term storage facilities are often used in IVF and can be more cost-effective, many of its patients are wondering why the facility has to be so far away.

"Is there's not accountability, there's not clear transparency, and it seems as though some people still don't know what's going on," Soyk said.

Kindbody tells CBS News Chicago that patients with procedures through the end of August will keep their frozen tissues in Chicago, but those planning a transfer in more than 90 days will have their embryos transported back and forth at no charge.

Patients can opt out of the move to the east coast and send their embryos to another facility of their choosing.

Full Statement from New England Cryogenic Center spokesperson

"New England Cryogenic Center (NECC) has entered into an agreement with Kindbody to provide long-term cryogenic storage for its reproductive patients. Through this agreement, Kindbody patients will benefit from access to NECC's dedicated, state-of-the-art biorepository facilities."

"This is a cryogenic storage agreement. NECC has entered into this agreement with Kindbody to provide dedicated long-term cryogenic storage for its reproductive patients; NECC did not acquire Kindbody's clinics or clinical operations."

"The transfer of reproductive tissue will take place over the next three months and will be carried out by a trusted, specialized transport partner, with meticulous attention to safety and integrity every step of the way. All transports will be GPS tracked and temperature monitored."