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The meaning of vitrification in fertility treatments
If you are considering fertility treatment, you will come across a variety of terminology, one of which is vitrification. Vitrification is a method used to freeze eggs, sperm and embryos for future use.
Vitrification offers many advantages, including increasing the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. Here’s more information and how it can benefit your fertility treatment.
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What is vitrification?
Vitrification, also known as rapid cooling, is a technique used to quickly cool down the cells and tissues of eggs, sperm and embryos, for preservation until you are ready to have a child. Unlike, slow freezing, which can lead to ice crystal formation, vitrification minimises the damage to the cells and tissues, resulting in better preservation outcomes.
How does vitrification work?
Vitrification is a quick procedure that can be completed in a few minutes. The rapid cooling process transforms the egg, sperm or embryo into a glass-like substance to help ensure a higher survival rate. Shorter freezing times reduce the likelihood of ice crystals forming, which can damage the cells.
The eggs, sperm or embryos go through a dehydration process with substances that protect the cells and tissues during both the freezing and thawing process. After this, they are placed into liquid nitrogen for the rapid cooling process. Once frozen they are stored in a cryopreservation chamber until needed.
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How can vitrification be used?
Vitrification is a simple process and can be used for egg, sperm and embryo freezing, allowing individuals to preserve their fertility for future use.
Egg freezing
With egg freezing, patients undergo ovarian stimulation. This typically involves a 14-day course of daily injections to stimulate follicle growth in the ovaries. After this, an egg collection procedure is performed under sedation. Finally, the collected eggs are then frozen using vitrification and stored until patients are ready to use them.
Sperm freezing
Sperm freezing involves collecting, preserving and storing a patient’s sperm. The process begins with a semen analysis to assess the viability of the sperm and check for any infections such as hepatitis C or HIV. While these infections do not affect the freezing process, the sperm is stored separately to prevent contamination. After the assessment, the patient will need to produce a sample, which is then frozen using vitrification and stored in liquid nitrogen. Before freezing, the sample is divided into different containers for multiple treatments, if required.
Embryo freezing
Embryo freezing is an effective way for couples or co-parents to preserve their fertility. Similar to the egg freezing process, you’ll need to go through an ovarian stimulation cycle, which includes hormone medication to stimulate ovarian follicle growth and egg retrieval. Once the eggs are collected, the healthy ones are combined with the partner’s or donor’s sperm to create embryos. In cases of low sperm count or quality, the method of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used, where a single healthy sperm is injected directly into the egg.
The fertilised embryos are monitored for five to six days to ensure they develop into mature embryos and then the strongest ones are frozen using vitrification.
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Benefits of vitrification
There are several benefits of the vitrification procedure, particularly in terms of increasing survival rates and enhancing the chances of a successful pregnancy.
Preservation – Whether you’re focusing on your career and plan to start a family later, wish to travel the world before beginning your parenting journey or are undergoing medical treatment that may affect your fertility, vitrification can help.
This process allows you to preserve your sperm, eggs or embryos, so you can use them when you are ready.
Prevention of ice crystals – Unlike slow freezing, vitrification involves rapid cooling, which significantly reduces the risk of ice formation. This is crucial as it leads to higher survival rates during the thawing process.
Improved survival rates – Vitrification generally results in better survival rates when thawing out the sperm, eggs or embryos when compared to slow freezing. Vitrification reduces the risk of ice crystals forming and minimises potential damage to cell structures and maintains quality.
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Reviewed by Justin Chu, Medical Director at TFP Oxford Fertility.
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