Freezing all embryos for later transfer may help improve IVF outcomes

Washington -  A new study has indicated that the chance of a clinical pregnancy through IVF is around 30 percent higher when all embryos are frozen for later transfer than with fresh embryo  transfer.

There is growing interest in a “freeze-all” embryo policy in IVF. Such an approach, which cryopreserves all embryos generated in a stimulated IVF cycle for later transfer in a non-stimulated  natural cycle, would avoid any of the adverse effects which ovarian stimulation might have on endometrial receptivity during the treatment cycle.

Ovarian stimulation has been shown to have adverse effects on endometrial receptivity and the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is also increased when embryo transfer is  performed in the stimulated cycle.

Freezing all embryos for later transfer might therefore improve implantation and pregnancy rates and increase the safety of IVF.

Presently, the highest success rates in reproductive medicine are seen in the recipients of donor eggs. These are women who have not had ovarian stimulation - their endometrial tissue  has not been exposed to high hormone levels, and they are not at risk of OHSS.

However, while the theory of a freeze-all policy seems attractive - and the technique has been commonly employed as a safety measure when OHSS is a threat - no robust systematic studies  have indicated whether the cryopreservation of all viable embryos with later frozen embryo transfer (FET) is associated with better outcomes than fresh embryo transfers.

The latest study, which is the first meta-analysis on this subject, was a systematic review of the entire literature, which provided a pool of 64 relevant studies - with three randomised trials -  performed before December 2011.

The current review was based on information from 633 IVF/ICSI cycles in which 316 were randomised to fresh embryo transfer and 317 to FET. Results showed - based on a relative risk  calculation - that the probability of a clinical pregnancy is significantly higher from freeze-all cycles than in fresh embryo transfers (a relative risk of 1.31, which was statistically significant). 

The miscarriage rates did not show significantly differences between the two groups.

“The pooled data demonstrates that embryo cryopreservation and subsequent FET may improve the outcome of assisted reproduction treatment,” said Professor Miguel Angel Checa from

the Hospital Universitari del Mar in Barcelona, Spain.

The study recorded an ongoing pregnancy rate of 38 percent in fresh transfer cycles, and 50 percent in the FET cycles.

Professor Checa also explained why FET in a later non-stimulated cycle might improve IVF results. He noted that the multiple eggs generated by ovarian stimulation would increase release

of the hormone estradiol from the ovary, which affects the receptivity of endometrial tissue. In addition, some recent studies have shown that ovarian stimulation causes changes to the

endometrial DNA pattern, which are not evident in the normal receptive endometrium.

Professor Checa added that the results of his study were “preliminary”, but statistically robust. However, with other groups known to be performing similar studies, he urged patience until

their results were known.

Professor Checa presented the results at the annual meeting of ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology).