Since 1981, healthcare professionals have used assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to help people build the family of their dreams. The first ART treatment methods were a significant innovation in the reproductive health industry, and have continued to improve since the early 2000s.
Thanks to technologically advanced flash-freezing methods, treating infertility is more successful than ever before.
Whether someone is using a frozen egg donation from Donor Egg Bank USA (Donoreggbankusa.com) or a frozen IVF cycle, freezing technology provides the opportunity to conceive the child they’ve longed for.
Why is this so important?
Here are four profound ways flash-freezing is making a name for itself within the fertility and health communities.
Slow Freeze Technology vs. Fertility Treatments: Why They Don’t Go Together
It isn’t unusual for someone to assume all freezing techniques lead to the same results. After all, once something is frozen, it’s frozen… right?
Not necessarily.
While doctors had success using slow freeze technology, also known as controlled rate freezing or equilibrium freezing, as a part of past ART methods, the shortcomings of this procedure were soon discovered.
For example, a key reason why slow freezing isn’t used in current fertility treatments is because there’s an increased chance of ice crystal formation during storage. These ice crystals often led to cellular damage, which significantly decreased the success rates of various treatments.
The Introduction of Vitrification into the Reproductive Health Industry
Since slow freezing wasn’t as effective in treating infertility as doctors hoped, the search for a reliable alternative began. The answer to the problem would present itself in the form of a cutting-edge flash-freezing technique known as vitrification.
Rather than slowly dropping the temperature of specimens to -320° Fahrenheit like with slow freezing, vitrified samples are exposed to cryoprotectants and then submerged in liquid nitrogen for fast freezing and storage.
Using this process, biological specimens not only have a higher chance of surviving storage and thawing, but provide better implantation rates than slow-frozen samples.
The 4 Main Uses of Vitrification for Infertility
When it comes to using vitrification for reproductive issues, ART methods aren’t the only manner in which it’s being employed. Here are four important ways vitrification has benefitted the fertility and health communities.
1. Improved Freezing of Eggs and Sperm
Whether someone is using their own frozen eggs or frozen donor eggs or sperm, there’s a strong possibility vitrification was used to collect and store those samples.
When ice crystals form in stored eggs and sperm, it weakens the overall cellular structure and lessens the success rates of those materials. Vitrification protects against these issues and increases the chance of fertility success.
2. Enhanced Cervical Surgery Techniques
When someone’s struggling with symptoms like abnormal tissues and unexplained vaginal bleeding, their doctor may suggest cervical surgery to correct the problem. Compared to decades past, surgeons now use an innovative flash-freezing instrument called a cryoprobe to simplify the procedure.
3. Upgraded Fertility Research Options
Having access to the right types of quality specimens is an integral part of various fertility research programs. Thankfully, cryogenic therapies and vitrification have improved the availability of these samples. These research projects allow scientists to continue enhancing the treatment protocols used to help people start their families.
4. Better Access to Medicinal Plants
To ensure patients can get the medications and supplements they need to treat their infertility, it’s crucial to have reliable stores of particular medicinal plants. Through flash-freezing protocols, researchers have found better ways of collecting and storing these specimens for future use.
Cryogenic Therapy & Infertility – The Partnership You Didn’t Know You Needed
When an individual or couple is unsuccessfully trying to start a family, they’re usually willing to give almost any treatment option a chance. However, what they might not realize is the vital role flash-freezing plays in those processes.
While doctors have been successfully treating fertility problems for decades, cryogenic technology is not only improving access to those treatments, but it’s increasing the likelihood of conception.
It’s amazing to think this one technological element could be the answer so many are seeking to create the family they’ve been dreaming of.