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Cryopreservation is one of the keystones in clinical infertility treatment. In particular vitrification has become a well-established and widely used routine procedure that has allowed important expansion of therapeutic strategies when IVF is used to treat infertility. Vitrification of human blastocysts allows us to maximize the potential for conception from any single in vitro fertilization cycle and prevents wastage of embryos. The technology may even be used to eliminate fresh embryo transfers for reasons of convenience, uterine receptivity, fertility preservation, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or emergency management. In this chapter, the application of vitrification technology for cryopreserving human blastocysts will be revealed through step-by-step protocols. The results that are presented using the described protocols underscore the robustness of the vitrification technology for embryo cryopreservation.

Cryopreservation is one of the keystones in clinical infertility treatment. Especially vitrification has become a well-established and widely used routine procedure that allows important expansion of therapeutic strategies when in vitro fertilization (IVF) is used to treat infertility. Vitrification of human blastocysts allows us to maximize the potential for conception from any one in vitro fertilization cycle and prevents wastage of embryos. This goes even further toward to best utilize a patient's supernumerary oocytes after retrieval, maximizing the use of embryos from a single stimulation cycle. The technology may even be used to eliminate fresh embryo transfers for reasons of convenience, uterine receptivity, fertility preservation, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or emergency management. In this chapter, the application of vitrification technology for cryopreserving human blastocyst will be revealed through step-by-step protocols. The results that are presented using the described protocols underscore the robustness of the vitrification technology for embryo cryopreservation.

Vitrification is the achievement of a “state of suspended animation” wherein molecular translational motions are arrested without structural reorganization of the liquid. Vitrification protocols are relatively simple for the practitioner, potentially faster, and inexpensive. The process relies on the placement of the cell in a very small volume of vitrification medium that must be cooled at extreme rates, which are difficult to obtain in regular enclosed cryostraws or vials. The growing number of reports of successfully completed pregnancies following vitrification makes for an extremely encouraging future for its wider adoption, the procedure appears safe, is easily assimilated into a busy IVF laboratory, and promises improved patient outcomes when used correctly. For blastocyst vitrification, a closed system is effective for achieving high implantation and pregnancy rates as seen with fresh embryo transfers. With this increased use of vitrification in human-assisted reproduction, we should see an evolution of the vitrification process as it is fine-tuned to clinical needs. Thus, the future should bring higher levels of clinical efficiency, utilization, and universal acceptance.