Embryo Thawing: What You Need to Know
January 6, 2022
For future parents undergoing medically assisted procreation, embryo transfer is one of the most anticipated moments. Sometimes, some couples prefer to freeze several embryos for different reasons. In this case, meticulous thawing work precedes the transfer. Here is what you need to know about the embryo thawing process.
To freeze embryos without damaging them, ultra-rapid freezing using liquid nitrogen (called vitrification) can be used. Embryos are stored at an extremely low temperature (-196ВєC) with a high concentration of cryoprotectants to prevent ice formation.
Devitrification is a relatively rapid process: the temperature of the embryos goes from -196ВєC to 37ВєC in one second. The thawed embryos are then placed in different aqueous media to be gradually rehydrated.
This ultra-rapid freezing/thawing technique is widely used by IVF laboratories because it allows for a particularly high embryo survival rate.
Children born from frozen embryos
According to studies, children born from frozen embryos do not have any abnormalities related to freezing. The latter can only influence the probability of pregnancy but not the health of the unborn child.