What does frozen embryo baby mean
With the continuous advancement of medical technology, human research on the origin and reproduction of life is also becoming increasingly in-depth. As a new thing, frozen embryo babies have also become the focus of many people\’s attention. So, what exactly is a frozen embryo baby?
The so-called frozen embryo baby, as the name suggests, is an embryo preserved through freezing technology, transformed into a new life through artificial catalysis, and eventually grows into a baby. In layman\’s terms, the future parents collect eggs and sperm first, conduct artificial insemination, and then cryopreserve the fertilized embryos. If other corresponding conditions are met, future parents can choose to have children based on these preserved embryos at any time. The introduction of this technology has given hope to many couples who have difficulty conceiving in traditional ways.
The technology behind frozen embryos
As a new thing, what technologies does frozen embryos rely on to preserve and reproduce embryos? Suitable embryos need to be screened before cryopreservation. At present, the most commonly used technology is micromanipulation technology. Doctors use a microscope to magnify the field of view and use different embryo marking technologies to identify embryos with a higher probability of life and freeze them.
For cryopreservation, embryos are first soaked in a plexiglass protectant and then exposed to low temperatures. Typically, the strategy is to store embryos in liquid nitrogen at at least -196°C. During the freezing process, the osmotic pressure, temperature and other intracellular and intracellular environments inside and outside the embryo will change, resulting in adverse factors that affect survival. Precise environmental control needs to be carried out through scientific and technological means.
The advantages and disadvantages of frozen embryo babies
Although frozen embryo babies have obvious advantages, as an emerging thing, there are still some disadvantages.
advantage:
1. The application cycle is fast. Future parents only need to complete egg collection, sperm extraction and artificial insemination after a physical examination, which greatly simplifies the fertility process;
2. By overcoming various infertility symptoms, it can also increase the success rate of childbearing and help many couples who have lost hope to have a child;
3. For staff who work in unclean places, women recovering from surgery, and other women with physical disabilities, this pure artificial insemination method may appear to be more in line with personal needs.
shortcoming:
1. If frozen embryos are kept for a long time, embryo mortality may increase;
2. The embryo may grow into an abnormal baby when it is adversely affected during fertilization;
3. In addition, the forced selection of “healthier” embryos also introduces some health and ethical issues.
Summary
It can be seen that frozen embryo babies cannot completely replace traditional reproductive methods, but its unique advantages have given many couples a reason to live. At the same time, it also sparked both positive and negative comments and controversy. As a modern society, we should seriously think about the ethical and moral issues involved, and try our best to grasp the essence of emerging technologies so as to share them with every individualopportunity for life.
