Does starting a family feel like a race against time? You deserve the freedom and confidence to have a baby on your own schedule – when you’re truly ready.  

Maybe right now isn’t the best time for you to have a baby – and that’s ok. Whatever the reason might be, you have options for family planning. Embryo cryopreservation allows you to freeze the clock, take control, and decide on the best timing for you and your future family.

Individuals and couples choose to cryopreserve their embryos for various reasons, each reflecting their unique circumstances and aspirations. Timing, health conditions, and sometimes life just get in the way of starting or expanding your family. 

No matter the reason, cryopreserving your embryos allows you to plan your family’s future on your terms. 

Let’s explore how embryo cryopreservation works, its key benefits, and the crucial role of cryo transport in securing your family’s future with confidence.

The Embryo Cryopreservation Process

Today’s advanced assisted reproductive technology (ART) gives you the option to freeze your eggs, sperm, or embryos until you’re ready to start a family. In this blog, we’re focusing specifically on embryo cryopreservation.

Formation of Embryos

Embryos are formed through in vitro fertilization (IVF), typically in a fertility clinic. During IVF, eggs retrieved from a woman’s ovaries are fertilized by sperm in a laboratory dish.

The resulting embryos are monitored for several days and graded based on their development and appearance. This helps embryologists determine their quality and viability. 

Unfortunately, many embryos are wrongly discarded due to misconceptions about embryo grading. Even those given a lower grade can still become healthy babies.

Embryo Cryopreservation

Once embryos reach the desired stage of development, they are prepped for cryopreservation. This process includes dehydration and exposure to a cryoprotectant solution, which helps protect the embryos from damage during freezing. 

Then, the embryos are placed into cryopreservation containers called straws. The embryos are cooled to sub-zero temperatures using specialized equipment, effectively stopping all biological activity and preserving their viability for future use. There are two main techniques used:

• Slow Freezing: This traditional method gradually reduces the temperature of the embryo into a cryopreserved state. However, it poses a risk of ice crystal formation, which can potentially damage the embryo.
  
• Vitrification: This newer, more reliable method cools the embryos rapidly. The water molecules don’t have time to form ice crystals, turning the cellular contents into a glass-like solid. Flash-freezing reduces the risk of ice damage and increases the likelihood of survival upon thawing.

Whichever process your fertility clinic uses, it’s important to know your options and be aware of all the risks. Be sure to ask your prospective clinic about their process for embryo cryopreservation.

Storing Cryopreserved Embryos

After they’re frozen, embryos are stored in tanks or containers filled with liquid nitrogen at -196ºC (-321°F). These tanks are stored in a cryo-storage facility with rigorous environmental controls to ensure long-term preservation. 

Benefits of Embryo Cryopreservation

Embryo cryopreservation allows you to take control of how and when you start or grow your family. Here are five key benefits of freezing your embryos:

1. Flexibility in Family Planning 

Life’s many curveballs can get in the way of starting a family. Freezing embryos can help alleviate the pressure of time. This is important for those undergoing medical treatments that might affect fertility, busy professionals pursuing career goals, or those who aren’t ready to have a baby but want to preserve their fertility.

2. Potential for Multiple Attempts

Cryopreserving your embryos allows multiple pregnancy attempts from a single IVF cycle. It reduces the need for multiple egg retrievals, which can be physically demanding and emotionally stressful. 

3. Reducing Risks and Enhancing Outcomes

Cryopreserved embryos can be tested for genetic conditions before implantation to help reduce the risk of complications. And they can be implanted at the best time for your body, enhancing the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and birth.

4. Planning for Siblings

Cryopreserving multiple embryos at once allows you to plan for siblings that are biologically related, even if you decide to expand your family years later. 

5. Preserving Fertility

Fertility typically decreases with age, so freezing embryos at a younger age can help ensure you have viable embryos for future use.

Now that you see all that’s possible with cryopreservation, let’s talk about how your embryos can safely move with you.

Safely Transporting Your Cryopreserved Embryos 

After your fertility clinic freezes your embryos, they’re transferred into cryo storage. However, this type of storage may not always be available at your original clinic. 

Whether you require cryo storage, plan to have your IVF treatments in a different city, or decide to switch clinics, professional cryogenic transportation becomes essential. This service safely transports your embryos while maintaining their viability, using the utmost care and precision. 

As a professional cryo transport company, we collect your cryopreserved embryos from your fertility clinic and hand-carry them in our state-of-the-art cryoshippers. Our medical-grade tanks keep your embryos safe and maintain optimal conditions until they reach their destination.

The right cryo transport company offers you peace of mind, knowing your embryos are safe wherever they need to go.

Preserve Your Family’s Future

As you navigate your path to parenthood, remember the right timing is your timing. Starting a family should never feel rushed, and freezing your embryos allows you to plan according to your life’s pace and priorities. 

We are so lucky to live in a world where embryo cryopreservation exists, and we’re able to start or grow a family when we’re ready. At CRYOLOGISTICS, we also believe that where you start your family shouldn’t be determined by distance. 

If you have reproductive cells that need to move with you, check out our services. Our professional cryo transport service ensures your embryos are safely and securely hand-carried to their destination. 

Simply fill out a Transport Request Form, and we’ll take care of the details so you can focus on what matters most – preparing for the future of your family.