Overview:

Cryopreservation is the process of freezing eggs, sperm, or embryos at subzero temperatures for later use. When the eggs, sperm, or embryos are needed, they are defrosted and fertilised or used in a fertility treatment cycle. Sperm can be used in intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures. Eggs and embryos will be used in IVF procedures.

Embryo cryopreservation, also known as embryo freezing, provides an additional opportunity for pregnancy via Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET). This saves the women from having to go through another ovarian stimulation and retrieval procedure.

Who should use Cryopreservation:

Cryopreservation may be chosen for a variety of reasons, the most imperative being impending cancer treatments. Killing cancer cells through chemotherapy and radiation can also harm a person's fertility or cause infertility.

Other reasons for preserving fertility include lifestyle, social, and career decisions. Many people who work in careers that endanger their lives or their fertility choose to freeze their eggs, sperm, or embryos. If and when they decide to start a family later in life through IVF, young women can freeze their eggs to ensure fertility and optimal egg age.

Process :

The primary goal of embryo freezing is to preserve the embryo for future use. As a result, the embryo must be kept in an environment that prevents it from dying.

The steps involved in freezing or cryopreservation of the embryo are as follows:

Step one: Embryo Selection

The woman is medically stimulated to produce more eggs as part of the IVF process. The man also produces a greater number of sperm cells. When both are combined, several embryos frequently develop. The doctor usually transfers one to four embryos into the woman and discards the rest. The healthiest embryo or embryos are chosen here to be stored for future use.

Step two: Removal of the water content

Without replacing the water content within the cells, the selected embryo cannot be frozen directly. This is due to the fact that when it is frozen, the water content within the cells also freezes and crystallises. The crystal formation can cause expansion, which can cause the cell to burst open and die. Cryoprotectants are used to replace the water content inside the cells to prevent this from happening.

Step three: Embryo Freezing

The embryo is cooled (20 degrees Celsius) and frozen as the water content is removed. The embryos are placed inside a tube (straw sealed with sterilised bearings) to protect them from damage. Once the embryos are placed inside, the temperature in the tubes is gradually reduced (from 20° to -7° and finally to -35°) to prevent ageing and damage. The straw/tube is taken out of the freezer and placed in the liquid nitrogen container, which is kept at a temperature of -196° Celsius.

Cost :

The main part of the IVF process is embryo transfer, which takes 10 to 15 days to inject into a woman's womb.

Success Rate:

The possibility of pregnancy following embryo transfer is largely determined by the woman's age when the embryos are created. Procedures that use eggs harvested from people aged 35 or younger have the best chance of producing a pregnancy. More than 95% of frozen embryos survive defrosting.

Myths About Cryopreservation

  1. Using a frozen embryo makes achieving a viable pregnancy more difficult Fact:

    2. Embryo transfer using defrosted frozen embryos is now common in fertility clinics, including Embrion IVF Centre. Your chances of a successful pregnancy with a frozen embryo are similar, if not better, than with a non-frozen embryo.

  2. Frozen embryos cannot be stored for an extended period of time Fact:

    3. Embryos can be frozen indefinitely without jeopardising cell integrity. The standard storage period is usually no more than 10 years, but this is due to the couple's cost and changes in fertility needs, not the viability of the embryo. Embryos can be stored for up to 55 years in some cases.

  3. Frozen embryos are of poor quality Fact:

    4. We only freeze the highest quality embryos, which means they will most likely survive the cryo cycle. The procedure is completely safe and effective. Babies born from frozen embryos are no different than babies born without fertility treatments.

  4. You have no control over what happens to your embryos:

    5. Contrary to popular belief, you have complete control over your frozen embryos. You sign several consent forms before your embryos are stored to explain how long they will be stored. It will also be made clear what happens to the embryos if you or your partner become incapacitated. You decide whether the embryos will be used solely for your treatment or whether they will be donated to another couple or used for research. You can also specify additional conditions for storing and using your embryos. We make the embryo freezing process as thorough and transparent as possible.

FAQS:

While the majority do survive, some embryos simply do not survive the process, despite our best efforts to select the highest quality. This is a rare occurrence, but it does occur and is a risk of cryopreservation.

Good quality embryos can be frozen during IVF or ICSI procedures where only one embryo is transferred (the medical term is 'cryostorage'). Cryopreserved frozen embryos can then be used later if treatment fails or if you want to have more children.

We assess the embryo's potential viability at the time of freezing. We can decide by looking at the embryos' structures and important elements, such as size, that may affect survival during the freezing process.

Sperm that has been frozen can normally be kept for up to 50 years. About half of the sperm survives the thawing procedure.

Donated sperm, eggs, or embryos can easily be stored through cryopreservation, helping other couples fulfil their child-bearing aspirations. Additionally, it might be carried out for future pregnancy attempts, medical needs, the danger of falling fertility, or just for convenience. The freezing of embryos is frequently utilised in the IVF process to preserve extra embryos obtained after treatment, assisting many people and couples to continue having children without having to go through the IVF procedure again.