Embryo Freezing in Delhi
- 26 Aug, 2021
- IVF and Infertility
- infertility
- Medically Reviewed By:
Dr. Nishi Singh - Author: Prime IVF Centre
Almost 30 years ago, the first child was born out of a frozen embryo. The embryo was frozen at subzero temperatures many years ago and then thawed before transferring it into the uterus aiming for a successful pregnancy and delivery. This process, known as embryo freezing, has gained popularity over the past few decades. Today fertility specialists use the most advanced techniques to store and freeze “ eligible” embryos for future use. Embryo freezing in Delhi is gaining attention and more women are willing to consider this option. Why and how is it done? Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents
Feel free to skip ahead if one topic catches your eye
1. What is embryo freezing?
- Embryo freezing or cryopreservation of the embryo is the process of freezing and storing the extra embryos for future use.
- In a regular IVF cycle, the sperm and the egg are fertilized in a laboratory resulting in a zygote that grows into an embryo. In such cases, there are some embryos leftover unused.
- These embryos may be frozen for future use in the same woman, or preserved for later use or donation based on consent from the partners responsible for creating the embryo.
- Embryo cryopreservation is a freezing process of storing extra embryos.
- These are then thawed and used at a later time. The process is a vital part of most IVF programs.
Why embryo freezing?
There may be many reasons why a couple chooses to freeze and store their embryos. The benefits of embryo freezing:
- It provides another chance to get pregnant in the future if the first IVF cycle fails.
- When the couple decides to have a second baby, they can use the embryos later.
- The woman can save her embryos before she begins treatments if she fears that any of her medical conditions might interfere with her fertility.
- When one of the partners have a medical condition that might prevent them from fathering a child sooner or later
- Subject to consent, the embryos can be saved and given to someone else in a donor program.
- The embryos could be saved and donated for research.
What is the embryo freezing success rate?
- It is relatively a safe procedure and most likely results in a successful pregnancy.
- The procedure is done mainly through the traditional slow freezing method or much faster vitrification.
- If you are less than 35 years, you have a 60% chance of pregnancy, from a frozen or thawed embryo.
- If you are over 40 years old, there are only 20% chances of pregnancy.
- The success rate will depend upon the age of the mother, the condition of the uterus, a technique used, etc.
How many embryos survive freezing?
About 75% of the embryos survive freezing and maybe put to good use later.
The high-quality embryo has a 79% chance of live birth and a good quality embryo - about 64%.
Today, an increasing number of women are considering embryo freezing for various reasons. As they say “ Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans”. Be it women who are busily climbing the corporate ladder to achieve their dreams or those who have a male partner but are not just ready for a baby yet. Those who have medical reasons to worry about such as cancer treatment or a defect that carries a risk of injury are giving embryo freezing a thought, to say the least.
When to freeze?
- Fertility experts advise freezing your embryo, before turning 35, to improve the success rate.
- It is better to consider embryo freezing as you approach your thirtieth birthday, as the ovarian reserve ( the number of eggs left out from a lifetime reserve) is highest between your 20s and 30s.
2. How does embryo freezing work?
- When couples undergo fertility treatments, such as IVF, healthy embryos are left out unused. These eligible embryos can be cryopreserved for use later.
- They may be used for the same woman if they decide to expand their family in the future.
- This would save the time, money, and effort to undergo an IVF cycle again, yet preserve fertility.
How is embryo freezing done?
- During an IVF procedure, the egg is exposed to the sperm in a petri dish in a laboratory and left to fertilize, thus forming an embryo.
- The embryologist monitors the development over six days, and an eligible embryo is chosen.
- The chosen embryo is subjected to one of the two processes- slow freezing or vitrification.
- Today, vitrification is a more commonly used and most advanced process.
How long does embryo freezing take?
- In slow freezing, the embryo is frozen in stages- and stored in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of about -321 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The whole process takes about a couple of hours.
How many embryos are frozen?
About 10 to 12 chosen embryos may be frozen for future use.
- In vitrification, the embryo is cooled exponentially faster in a matter of minutes and immersed in liquid nitrogen to achieve a glass consistency.
- This improves the survival and viability of the embryo when thawed and put to use later.
- Irrespective of the technique used, the embryo is brought down to subzero temperatures, halted, and used later.
- An important concern while freezing embryos is ice formation in and between the cells.
- This may hurt the membranes and can harm the small viable structures inside the cell.
- Vitrification is a type of flash freezing technique that uses much higher concentrations of cryoprotective agents.
- The embryos are swiftly placed into the liquid nitrogen that transforms them into a glassy state.
- Whenever necessary, the embryos are slowly thawed by soaking them in special fluids to remove the CPAs that restores the cell’s normal water balance.
When is embryo cryopreservation done?
Just like embryo freezing, eggs from a woman may also be frozen. About 10 to 20 eggs may be preserved with each IVF cycle. Of these 75% will survive and out of the 75% fertilize.
Importance of embryo freezing
If you are concerned about preserving your fertility for any reason, then embryo freezing may be the right choice for you.
How long can you freeze embryos?
The time that they can be frozen is technically very long but successful pregnancies have resulted from a 14-year-old frozen sample.
3. How does an embryo survive the freezing process?
- All cells in the body are composed of water, and the embryo is no different.
- The embryo resulting from an IVF cycle is examined for quality and possible viability by an embryologist and those passing the test are chosen for preservation.
- Cryoprotective agents - “ antifreeze” substances are used in very high concentrations to prevent the water inside the embryo from crystallization, improving the success rate.
- Vitrification involves exposing the embryo to a temperature of about -190 degrees Celsius. This pauses all forms of cellular activity.
- It is essentially a pause button that can be released and played later in life.
- The rate at which it is frozen is about -12000 degrees Celsius per minute.
4. How to prepare for it?
- Learn what the procedure is all about
- Stay alert and make an informed decision of what time in your life you want to decide to freeze your embryo
- The process is no different than getting ready for an IVF
- Give your consent and let your care team know what should be done to your embryo if you are not in a position to decide for yourself later.
- Be prepared to undergo a series of blood tests that look at your hormone levels, egg reserve, and general fertility such as FSH, estradiol, etc.
- Eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle as it helps in improving egg quality
5. What happens after freezing embryos?
- Once the embryos are frozen and stored, they are maintained at about -196 degrees celsius in liquid nitrogen.
- They are stored in separate containers with a temperature alarm that will beep if the temperature changes.
- The biological activity inside the embryo is brought to a halt and the embryo achieves a glass-like consistency.
- They may remain viable for a very long time subject to temperature and pressure conditions.
6. Cost of Freezing Embryo in Delhi at Prime IVF Centre
Embryo freezing in Delhi is getting more popular today and many facilities offer embryo freezing in Delhi.
How much does it cost to freeze embryos?
- The embryo freezing cost in Delhi may range anywhere from Rs 15000 per month to about Rs 25000 depending on the facility.
- The embryo freezing cost in Delhi does not include the cost of IVF preparation, blood tests involved, other laboratory investigations, fertility consultation, etc.
- The embryo freezing cost in Delhi will depend upon the medication prices, cost of egg retrieval, IVF procedure as such, the cost of storage, etc.
- Your facility may offer a flat fee plan or a monthly payment depending upon their policy.
Take Away
Prime IVF Centre is established by a team of very passionate, highly experienced, and committed doctors with the sole aim of providing comprehensive infertility solutions to couples under one roof with high ethical standards, complete transparency, and a very affordable rate.
Start your fertility journey with one of the Best IVF Centre in Delhi. Prime IVF uses cutting-edge technology to help you along your fertility journey. We encourage you to schedule a consultation with our board-certified fertility specialist to discuss your case in detail. At Prime IVF, we welcome you for a consultation and hope to help you in becoming a parent.
