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Cryopreservation of Human Embryos: Basic Principles and Current Considerations

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Textbook of Assisted Reproduction

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Abstract

It is now approaching 50 years since the first reports were made on cryopreservation of mammalian embryos with successful recoveries and subsequent live births. These successes were the result of growing shared knowledge between the fields of reproductive biology and cryobiology. Once manipulation of human embryos became possible in infertility treatment, embryo cryopreservation was quickly taken up to enhance logistics and patient management within the clinical services. Now, embryo cryopreservation is seen as a crucial component to enhance overall success rates, whilst advances in cryobiology have brought forward new techniques such as vitrification. This chapter reviews the history of embryo cryopreservation, the basic scientific principles underpinning the technologies, and provides an example of how these are currently applied in a clinical practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproductive Medicine, Old St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

    Helen Hunter

  2. Institute of Reproductive Health, Division of UCL, London, UK

    Natalie Getreu

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    Maureen Wood

  4. Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK

    Barry Fuller

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  1. Helen Hunter
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  2. Natalie Getreu
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  3. Maureen Wood
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  4. Barry Fuller
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Correspondence to Barry Fuller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Consultant Reproductive Endocrinology & IVF Millennium Medical Center MMC IVF, Dubai Health Care City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Gautam Nand Allahbadia

  2. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Baris Ata

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA

    Steven R. Lindheim

  4. X&Y Fertility, Leicester, UK

    Bryan J. Woodward

  5. School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Newyork, USA

    Bala Bhagavath

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Hunter, H., Getreu, N., Wood, M., Fuller, B. (2020). Cryopreservation of Human Embryos: Basic Principles and Current Considerations. In: Allahbadia, G.N., Ata, B., Lindheim, S.R., Woodward, B.J., Bhagavath, B. (eds) Textbook of Assisted Reproduction. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2377-9_57

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