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Slow Freezing

Meaning

Slow Freezing, also known as controlled-rate freezing, is a conventional cryopreservation technique used in reproductive medicine to preserve cells, tissues, or embryos by gradually and methodically lowering the temperature. This controlled cooling is performed in the presence of cryoprotective agents to minimize the formation of damaging intracellular ice crystals. Although often superseded by the ultra-rapid technique of vitrification for oocytes and embryos due to higher survival rates, slow freezing remains a necessary and essential method for cryopreserving larger tissue samples, such as ovarian or testicular tissue.