MUNICH – Quick freezing of oocytes without ice formation–vitrification–has been a "breakthrough" for oocyte banking for both autologous fertility preservation and for oocyte donations, Ana Cobo, Ph.D., said in a video interview during the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Results of studies done by Dr. Cobo and her associates have shown that children born from vitrified oocytes have similar outcomes compared with children born from fresh oocytes. Many women who receive embryos made from donated oocytes are older and may have age-related obstetric complications, but these have no relationship to vitrification itself. Nor are their complications exacerbated by vitrification, said Dr. Cobo, director of the cryopreservation laboratory at the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad in Valencia, Spain.
A major advantage of using vitrified oocytes instead of fresh is that cryopreservation makes it much easier to synchronize placement of an appropriately aged embryo with the optimal period of receptivity during the recipient’s cycle, Dr. Cobo said.
Dr. Cobo had no disclosures.
The video associated with this article is no longer available on this site. Please view all of our videos on the MDedge YouTube channel.
On Twitter @mitchelzoler