Cryopreservation can be done by
· Slow freezing
· Vitrification (fast freezing): this is the best and most used way to preserve sperm, eggs and embryos. The survival rates for the cells frozen with this technique are high, with good outcomes .
Sperm freezing:
Semen samples are collected and checked under a microscope to count sperm cells and check if they are healthy. These sperm cells are then frozen and stored for future purposes.
Egg freezing:
Egg freezing requires treatment similar to IVF and has multiple steps including ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and freezing.
· Ovarian stimulation is the first step to produce multiple eggs
· These eggs are later retrieved out of the woman's body by a vaginal procedure known as egg retrieval.
· Finally, the retrieved eggs are frozen by a process known as vitrification. This process helps to preserve the eggs in a stable condition for future use
Embryo freezing:
Once the eggs are available as above, they can be fertilised with sperm by the process of IVF or ICSI, to make the embryos Day 2-5 embryos can be then subject to vitrification technique (fast freezing) and stored for longer periods of time. Ovarian tissue:
Ovarian tissue can also be taken out and frozen for very young girls or women in need of urgent start to a cancer treatment.