EMBRYO AND EGG CRYOPRESERVATION
Cryopreservation, also
known as "freezing", involves storing embryos
or eggs at a very low temperature so that they can be
thawed and used later. We offer both embryo and egg freezing
at the C.A.R.E Clinic.
Cryopreservation is often done when
there are more embryos and eggs than is needed for a
single in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. The extra
embryos and eggs are saved and potentially used during
later cycles.
IVF success rates are generally lower
with frozen embryos than with freshly fertilized embryos,
although pregnancy rates with frozen embryos have been
improving in recent years. The survival rate after thawing
often depends on the quality of the embryos at the time
of freezing.
Egg freezing
Egg and ovarian tissue freezing are
experimental techniques being investigated for fertility
preservation in women. These techniques have the potential
to be helpful for women with cancer, as chemotherapy
and radiation treatment can often have a harmful effect
on fertility. In egg freezing, a woman's mature eggs
are developed and removed using standard IVF techniques.
They are then frozen in the hopes that they can be thawed,
fertilized and transferred back into the women's uterus
later.
