How are embryos thawed?
The process of embryo freezing has already been explained. Thawing the embryos is simply a reversal of the freezing procedure. When an embryologist removes embryos from the freezer, a second embryologist is required to witness the act, and verify the identity of the embryos before they can be thawed. Under no circumstances can a lone embryologist remove embryos from the freezer. The embryos coming out of the freezer (at –1960C) are warmed to room temperature in 35 seconds. This rapid thaw method minimizes damage to the embryo from ice shards. The embryologist has to remove the antifreeze from the embryo and replace the water that was removed at the time of freezing. This is done by incubating the embryo in decreasing concentrations of the antifreeze, and increasing concentrations of water. Over a period of 30 minutes, the embryo is stepped through 4 different solutions, until finally the antifreeze is gone and all the water has been replaced. The thawing procedure is performed at room
The process of embryo freezing has already been explained. Thawing the embryos is simply a reversal of the freezing procedure. When an embryologist removes embryos from the freezer, a second embryologist is required to witness the act, and verify the identity of the embryos before they can be thawed. Under no circumstances can a lone embryologist remove embryos from the freezer. The embryos coming out of the freezer (at –1960C) are warmed to room temperature in 35 seconds. This rapid thaw method minimizes damage to the embryo from ice shards. The embryologist has to remove the antifreeze from the embryo and replace the water that was removed at the time of freezing. This is done by incubating the embryo in decreasing concentrations of the antifreeze, and increasing concentrations of water. Over a period of 30 minutes, the embryo is stepped through 4 different solutions, until finally the antifreeze is gone and all the water has been replaced. The thawing procedure is performed at room
