Cryopreservation or cryoconservation at Best Fertility Center Shivajinagar, Pune is a process where cells, whole tissues, or any other substances susceptible to damage caused by chemical reactivity or time are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures. At low enough temperatures, any enzymatic or chemical activity which might cause damage to the material in question is effectively stopped.
Cryopreservation methods seek to reach low temperatures without causing additional damage caused by the formation of ice during freezing. Traditional cryopreservation has relied on coating the material to be frozen with a class of molecules termed cryoprotectants. New methods are constantly being investigated due to the inherent toxicity of many cryoprotectants. By default it should be considered that Cryopreservation alters/compromises the structure and function of cells unless it is proven otherwise for a particular cell population.
Cryopreservation is used in infertility programs to freeze and store sperm, eggs or to freeze “leftover” embryos from an in vitro fertilization cycle
There are 2 methods currently used for freezing in IVF labs
- Slow freezing
- Vitrification (ultra-rapid freezing)