Preface

Since early in the last century, many studies have focused on revealing the mechanism of fertilization and embryo formation and development, which form a branch discipline of biology science, known as embryology. Embryology is a vast discipline concerned with the study of embryogenesis and is the branch of biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes, fertilization, and development of embryos and fetuses. Additionally, embryology encompasses the study of congenital disorders that occur before birth, known as teratology. Findings in embryology have helped in the understanding of congenital abnormalities and developing assisted reproduction procedures.

To date, embryology has been enriched and developed greatly in terms of its contents and forms. It not only includes oogenesis, spermiogenesis, embryogenesis, implantation, and fetal formation mechanisms, but also involves pharmacology, basic scientific research, and regenerative medicine. Although this subject has been studied for more than a century, it is still a pioneering field with many alternative aspects, such as embryonic stem cells, somatic cell cloning, and many novel discoveries appearing continuously. In particular, novel embryo biotechnologies have initiated a new era in the fields of medical science and agriculture because of their enormous biomedical and commercial potential. Thus, the purpose of this book is to update and review newly developed theories and technologies in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and to provide clinical practice examples so that readers, especially embryologists and physicians involved in human IVF programs, may acquire new and usable information as well as key practice techniques.

This book updates new technologies, theories, and methods in early embryogenesis from ovarian stimulation to final ART outcomes. Areas covered include details of background proteins in human chorionic gonadotropin pharmaceutical formulations of different origins; clinical application of *in vitro* maturation of oocytes; oocyte fertilization failure and oocyte activation, both physiological and clinical aspects; human blastocyst formation and development; bovine embryonic development to implantation; the role of neuroendocrines in embryo implantation; and the present and future of embryo cryopreservation and effect of ART on newborn babies. Thus, this book will provide some important information for readers, especially embryologists and physicians for human IVF programs to improve their appreciation of ART.

**II**

**Section 4**

Embryo Cryopreservation and ART Outcome **101**

**Chapter 8 103**

**Chapter 9 123**

The Present and Future of Embryo Cryopreservation

Compared by IVF Laboratories of Two Countries

*Jennifer Howell, Timothy J. Gelety and Bin Wu*

*by Iavor K. Vladimirov, Desislava Tacheva and Vladislav Dobrinov*

Effect of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) on Babies Born:

*by Linda Wu, Jinzhou Qin, Dikai Zhang, Minqi Zhang, Suzhen Lu,* 

#### **Bin Wu, PhD, HCLD (ABB)**

Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Tucson, Arizona, USA

#### **Huai L. Feng, PhD, HCLD, ELD**

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York Hospital Queens, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, USA

**1**

Section 1

Introduction

Section 1 Introduction

**3**

**Figure 1.**

**Chapter 1**

*Bin Wu*

**1. Introduction**

in vitro (**Figure 1**).

field in last the decade.

Embryogenesis

enormous biomedical and commercial potential.

*Human embryogenesis from oocyte to blastocyst stage during preimplantation.*

Introductory Chapter: New Theory

Embryology has a long history. Since early last century, many studies focused on revealing the mechanism of the fertilization and embryo formation and development, which formed a branch discipline of biology science, that is, embryology. Embryology is a vast discipline concerned with the study of embryogenesis, and it is the branch of biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes, fertilization, and development of embryos and fetuses. Additionally, embryology encompasses the study of congenital disorders that occur before birth, known as teratology [1, 2]. Findings in embryology have helped in the understanding of congenital abnormalities and developing assisted reproduction procedures.

To date, embryology has been enriched and developed greatly in the terms of its contents and forms. It not only includes oogenesis, spermiogenesis, embryogenesis, implantation, and fetal formation mechanism, but also involves pharmacology, basic scientific research, and regenerative medicine. Although this subject has been studied for more than a century, it is still a pioneering field with many alternative aspects such as embryonic stem cell, somatic cell cloning, and many novel discoveries that appear continuously. Particularly, some novel embryo biotechnologies have initiated a new era in the fields of medical science and agriculture owing to their

In the last four decades, the assisted reproductive technology (ART) has created some new observations and novel discoveries in the early stage of embryogenesis, especially in preimplantation from gametogenesis to blastocyst embryo formation

Thus, this book contains some novel discoveries and theories on the embryology

The key technique of the assisted reproductive technology is in vitro fertilization (IVF). Since this technique's creation, the current developed methods have been widely used for the treatment of infertile couples to make them realize their dream to

and Technology in Early Clinical
