Oocyte and Embryo Vitrification

Widespread use of oocyte cryopreservation began after the introduction of vitrification, allowing women to postpone childbearing, precipitated by age-related declines in fertility. Similarly, vitrification offers poor responder patients the option of accumulating embryos. Over the last decade, several advances in vitrification technologies have improved clinical efficiency and outcome, reduced the dependence on operator skills, and raised success rates to higher and more uniform levels. As a result, vitrification has become reliable and safe, completely replacing slow cooling as the method of choice. Minimum volume methods, in particular the advanced Cryotec Ready to Use (RtU) system, as described here, ensure achieving the highest viability in oocytes and embryos at any stage can be achieved safely. A robust vitrification protocol is therefore a cornerstone of any ART program.