Embryo cryopreservation is the process of freezing fertilized eggs for future use. It is done for various reasons, including preserving fertility options and for those with health issues. While it can limit the number of IVF cycles, the viability of the embryos is significantly reduced.
Embryo cryopreservation is the process of preserving fertilized ova for possible implantation; this is done for a variety of reasons. Embryos are frozen and stored at extremely low temperatures until needed. While embryo cryopreservation can be a good safeguard for those looking to preserve their fertility options, freezing and subsequent thawing of fertilized eggs can significantly reduce their viability.
When a woman or a couple undergoes in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, there is often a surplus of eggs. Typically, each harvested egg is fertilized to create an embryo. This increases the likelihood of creating several healthy embryos that can be transplanted. Since it is only possible to implant so many embryos at once, this often means that one or more fertilized eggs remain; the remaining ones are then often kept for later use.
In other cases, the embryos are created for the sole purpose of freezing them. Those with health issues that may affect their fertility later in life may choose to have embryo cryopreservation for the chance or option of having a biological child. While fresh embryos offer a better chance of carrying a baby to term, frozen embryos can limit the amount of IVF cycles a woman needs to undergo. Since these cycles are often painful and exhausting, cryopreservation of embryos can be a good option.
One to five days after the eggs have been fertilized with sperm, they can be tested for quality and then frozen. Healthy embryos are mixed with a cryoprotectant solution to prevent ice development and then placed in airtight vials. The vials are then slowly cooled to -400° Fahrenheit (-196°Celsius); the freezing process takes several hours. Once the desired temperature has been reached, the embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen, where they can remain frozen for up to 10 years.
Embryos are almost always batch frozen. The patient and the fertility specialist typically discuss how many embryos will be implanted in the future before undergoing embryo cryopreservation. In this way, only the embryos to be implanted need to be thawed. Once the embryos are needed, they are thawed, which can take less than an hour. The embryos are cleaned to remove the cryoprotectant solution and then implanted.
Each stage of embryo cryopreservation can lead to the destruction of the embryo. Even if the embryo is still viable after freezing and thawing, it is significantly less healthy than a fertilized egg that has not undergone embryo cryopreservation. Typically, only 32% of implantation procedures with a previously frozen embryo result in a live birth. Although this number is relatively low, many women have been able to give birth to a biological child with the help of in vitro fertilization and cryopreservation of embryos.
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