Embryo Vitrification (Freezing)

Having the ability to preserve embryos is important to our patients. Barbados Fertility Centre introduced embryo vitrification in 2006.  This change to the 25 year-old traditional freezing technique used by most IVF units has led to our “frozen” embryo pregnancy rates being almost equal to those of our fresh embryo transfers.

One of the major hurdles of traditional freezing techniques is that ice-crystal formation is VERY damaging to embryos; this hurdle had never been fully overcome until vitrification was introduced. The damage caused by traditional freezing is one of the reasons that even the most capable IVF units rarely achieve that same results with frozen embryos as they do with fresh embryos.  Vitrification works on a completely different principle for cryo-storing embryos. By suspending the embryo in a “glass-like” state among high concentrations of cryoprotectants in liquid nitrogen (vitrification), we are able to avoid ice-crystal formation and offer a more reliable and successful cryopreservation of embryo(s).

To learn more about this advanced technique, contact us.