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Embryo Quality and Freezing Tolerance: Cryopreservation of Human Embryos

  • Chapter
Assessment of Mammalian Embryo Quality

Abstract

Freezing of mammalian embryos has become part of cryobiology around 30 years ago when the embryologist-cryobiologist team of Whittingham, (1972f>) published for the first time the successful freezing of the mouse embryo leading to the birth of living young. Cryopreservation of the human embryo has entirely been based on experience gained with cryopreservation of mouse embryos. It was in 1983 that the first human pregnancy after transfer of a frozen-thawed eight-cell embryo was announced (1983). At present, freezing of human embryos has become a firmly established adjunct standard routine in clinical programmes of assisted reproduction.

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  1. Infertility Centre, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Josiane Van der Elst

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  1. Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Merelbeke, Belgium

    Ann Van Soom

  2. Research and Development, Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies, Zeddam, The Netherlands

    Marleen Boerjan

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Van der Elst, J. (2002). Embryo Quality and Freezing Tolerance: Cryopreservation of Human Embryos. In: Van Soom, A., Boerjan, M. (eds) Assessment of Mammalian Embryo Quality. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0343-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0343-8_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-3909-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-010-0343-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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