Cryopreservation of Embryo

The process of preserving an embryo at an embryogenesis stage agreeing to pre-implantation is called Cryopreservation of embryos.

Indications

Some patients who fail to conceive after IVF Treatment may become pregnant using their preserved embryos without under going full IVF cycle. In case of successful pregnancy after IVF Treatment, they could return in future for additional pregnancy. If more oocytes are retrieved or embryos are formed then they can be used for donation to another woman or a couple or they can be frozen and used specifically.

Method

Embryo cryopreservation is done using vitrification  technique versus slow programmable freezing (SPF). Virification results in decreased risk of DNA damage than slow freezing.

Pregnancy Outcome and Determinants

Use of cryopreserved embryos doesn’t results with increase in birth defects or development abnormalities in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

In fact, pregnancy rates are increased following frozen embryo transfer, and perinatal outcomes are less affected, compared to embryo transfer in the same cycle as ovarian hyper stimulation was performed.