Vitrification Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Specimen (Oocytes (Devices, Kits & Consumables), Embryo, Sperm), By End-use (IVF Clinics, Biobanks), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2027

Report Overview

The global vitrification market size was valued at USD 6.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.7% from 2021 to 2027. Expansions in fertility preservation techniques have prompted the development of vitrification. This new technique offers solutions for the preservation of specimens that not only reduce the preservation time but also minimizes the exposure to cryoprotectants. This has spurred the adoption of vitrification devices leading to lucrative revenue growth of the market.

This area is considered a booming business in reproductive and women’s health domains and is expected to grow at a double-digit rate. Delayed childbearing due to sociodemographic factors, including education/career goals, the growing impact of women’s empowerment movements, financial barriers, and lack of a partner is one of the key driving factors of the market.

This rising trend of delaying parenthood/childbearing has created commercial opportunities for companies, such as Dadi, Kindbody, Legacy, and others, to offer cost-effective preservation services. Key startups are introducing value-added services such as home services, tapping more customers to opt for fertility preservation. Such offerings are anticipated to positively influence the uptake of vitrification services.

In addition, legal acceptance of same-sex marriage and an increase in single parenthood in several countries have increased the demand for the preservation of eggs and sperms, resulting in increased demand for vitrification services. Furthermore, companies such as Facebook, Apple, and Google are offering policies to cover the costs of egg freezing. The confluence of these factors is expected to drive the market for vitrification.

The rising cancer incidence has also resulted in increased infertility prevalence. Considering oncological mutations, people with a greater chance of developing cancer are advised to seek egg preservation treatment for future use. This is because cancer treatment drugs can hamper fertility temporarily or permanently. Cancer therapists/oncologists are suggesting fertility preservation before starting with treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery to increase the chances of fertility in the future, thereby driving the adoption of vitrification services and products.

Specimen Insights

Vitrification-based oocyte freezing accounted for the major revenue share of more than 40% in 2020.  Vitrification is increasingly preferred for oocytes, as these possess a higher intracellular content. Moreover, slow freezing is likely to damage the intracellular content of the oocytes. In slow cooling, the risk of formation of ice crystals is higher, however, the advent of vitrification has effectively addressed this concern, thereby minimizing failure chances.

A substantial number of players are offering kits and consumables under this segment. For instance, the vitrification and warming media offered by KITAZATO CORPORATION has been implemented in over 1,500,000 clinical cases for oocytes and embryos across 90 countries and 2,200 assisted reproduction centers. Such a wide implementation of products has accelerated the revenue share of this segment in the past few years.

Embryo and oocyte freezing witnessed tremendous growth over the past years with the introduction of vitrification procedures, as it offers over an 85% success rate. Although sperm vitrification has not yet been implemented in routine sperm preservation, its potential as a standard procedure is anticipated to expand for this specimen type.

End-use Insights

The IVF clinics segment dominated the vitrification market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 59.0% in 2020 owing to the high usage rate of devices and consumables in these end-use settings. Vitrification technology has significantly improved the reproductive health space concerning the success rate of IVF and the number of freezing cycles for oocytes and embryo. As more women and men are using vitrification to preserve their specimen for future use, the number of clinics providing this facility is also increasing.

The major factor for the rising adoption of vitrification by IVF clinics is the improved survival rates and pregnancy rates, as compared to the slow freezing process. Also, a substantial number of studies have shown the positive impact of vitrified specimens in IVF procedures with respect to success rate and health outcomes. This is expected to positively influence the segment growth in the coming years. 

Rising preference for the vitrification technique from the slow freezing of biospecimens has driven the cryobanking of eggs, embryo, and sperm. The presence of a substantial number of biobanks has facilitated the egg donation process. The banks offer databases of egg donors which further aids informed decision-making by the individuals seeking IVF from donor eggs. This is anticipated to positively accelerate the revenue share of biobanks in the market for vitrification.

Regional Insights

Europe dominated the market for vitrification and captured the maximum revenue share of 39.0% in 2020 owing to its well-established presence in the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) space. Furthermore, the presence of several numbers of key players in Europe has led to the estimated revenue share of this region. Following Europe, the U.S. market has shown significant growth in terms of sales and market penetration over the past years.

A substantial number of patients from emerging economies are seeking treatment in developed markets such as the U.S., contributing to the market revenue. For instance, in 2019, fertility clinics in the U.S. conducted egg freezing procedures for around 1,400 Chinese women, up from about 1,000 in 2018 and 500 in 2017. This is expected to greatly impact the U.S. market for vitrification.

Emerging economies such as China are recognized as key contributors to market growth, owing to their rapidly expanding customer pools in this area. Couples are spending billions a year on fertility treatment in countries like China. Demand for such services has significantly spurred the IVF deals, thereby positively influencing the market for vitrification.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights 

The presence of an extensive distribution network for widespread presence across multiple countries coupled with an extensive product portfolio has contributed to the wide presence of these companies. Companies have collaborated with distribution partners to expand their business footprint. Furthermore, emerging players in the market are trying to expand their geographical reach through mergers, collaborations, and co-marketing. For instance, Genea Biomedx has collaborated with Merck KGaA to mark its entry into the European market. Similarly, Biotech INC and VitaVitro have partnered with the IVF store for product distribution in North America.

Currently, commercial players are trying to dive into the emerging markets due to the spearheading growth demonstrated by those economies in the market. This is due to the presence of untapped potential coupled with the presence of the target population. Some of the prominent players in the vitrification market include:

• Vitrolife

• IVF Store LLC

• Frozen Cell

• Cook Medical Inc

• Minitube

• IMV Technologies

• Coopersurgical Fertility And Genomic Solutions

• Fujifilm Irvine Scientific

• Biotech Inc.

• Kitazato Corporation

Vitrification Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global vitrification market report on the basis of specimen, end-use, and region:

• Specimen Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Oocytes

    • Devices

    • Kits & Consumables

  • Embryo

    • Devices

    • Kits & Consumables

  • Sperm

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • IVF Clinics

  • Biobanks

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • Spain

    • France

    • Italy

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • South Korea

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa