Vitrification of Day 2–3 Human Embryos Using Various Methods

Abstract

Preserving cells at low temperatures is a complex biotechnological process. In assisted reproductive technology, cryopreservation of human oocytes and embryos has been significantly improved by the vitrification technique. Among the myriads of systems, carriers, and methods known and available, vitrification with Cryoptop conquered the world with its consistent and faithfully reproducible results in laboratories of many different countries. Furthermore, the new and advanced “Cryotec method,” with its assurance of achieving a 100 % viability of oocytes and embryos cryopreserved in any stage, is set to revolutionize the cryopreservation techniques worldwide. Cryotec is reported as an open or close device which could eliminate the theoretical possibility of contamination of cells while maintaining an astonishing efficacy of the procedure. The primary disadvantages of slow cooling in cryopreservation of human embryos are the need for an expensive programmable freezing machine and the fact that it is a time-consuming procedure. Vitrification, on the other hand, can be performed without the use of costly equipments, can be completed within minutes, and requires only one trained lab personnel. With the enormous data collected from different groups around the world and the experience gained over the years, we can now affirm that vitrification is a safe, effective, easily repeatable technique which can be applied in various clinical circumstances, thus justifying its use as a routine technique in ART.