Cryopreservation Program

The Cryopreservation Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center offers leading-edge technology in oocyte cryopreservation (egg banking) for fertility preservation.

This procedure has been developed at Mass General by a highly specialized multidisciplinary cryobiology team of physicians, embryologists and cryobiologists. In addition, embryo cryopreservation, including blastocyst freezing and embryo banking, is provided.

During cryopreservation, your cells—including eggs, sperm or embryos—are cooled to low sub-zero temperatures (typically 77 K or −196°C) to obtain suspended animation. The cryopreservation of sperm and embryos has been offered for decades. However, cryopreservation of the human egg is a recent development, and novel research at Mass General continues to advance this technology.

What to Expect

Many of our patients are being treated at Mass General Fertility Center for conditions that might affect their fertility. We understand this and strive to provide our patients with up-to-the-minute information.

Throughout treatment, you will enjoy a personal relationship with the physician in charge of your care as well as all our Fertility Center physicians. At your first appointment, we review your medical history, discuss the most appropriate treatment options and develop your personalized treatment plan.

Our doctors work tirelessly to create a plan that works for you. Our consultations are thorough, direct and designed to help you make the best decision for you. We aim to provide all the information you need to make an informed decision.

All of our work is done in one self-contained suite. When necessary, we can call on the expertise of other physicians—urologists, embryologists, obstetricians/gynecologists and others—throughout Mass General.

Support Services

At the Fertility Center, we help guide you in making decisions that will impact the rest of your life. While our doctors address physical concerns, we also recognize that fertility treatments have a significant emotional component as well. Our patients have open access to our staff social worker along with financial services personnel who can help plan a course of action that makes sense for everyone.

Training for Tomorrow

The Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship at Mass General prepares future leaders in our field. In this highly competitive fellowship program, fellows work side by side with our physicians and scientists, contributing to important advances in clinical care and fertility research.

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