Can carrier embryos still be healthy?

Yes. For recessive conditions, a carrier embryo will grow into a child who is healthy and unaffected by the condition. Carrying one copy of a recessive gene change is common and generally has no effect on health. For conditions like thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, a person needs two altered copies to be affected. A carrier has one, and is well. The significance of carrier status is for the next generation, not for the child. A carrier who later has children with another carrier of the same condition would face the same risk you did — which is why, if a carrier embryo is transferred, the child should be told at an appropriate age so they can make informed choices about their own family. The situation differs for X-linked conditions, where a carrier female may occasionally have some symptoms. If your condition is X-linked, ask your genetic counsellor to explain what applies specifically. ESHRE notes that in autosomal recessive and X-linked recessive conditions, whether carrier status is taken into account when selecting embryos may be discussed and depends on local regulations. So practice varies, and it is a legitimate question to raise before your cycle rather than after results arrive. If your only unaffected embryos are carriers, that is not a compromise in terms of your child's health.