Objective: To compare two commonly used protocols (fresh vs. vitrified) used to transfer euploid blastocysts after IVF with preimplantation genetic screening.
Design: Randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Private assisted reproduction center.
Patient(s): A total of 179 patients undergoing IVF treatment using preimplantation genetic screening.
Intervention(s): Patients were randomized at the time of hCG administration to either a freeze-all cycle or a fresh day 6 ET during the stimulated cycle.
Main outcome measure(s): Implantation rates (sac/embryo transferred), ongoing pregnancy rates (PRs) (beyond 8 weeks), and live birth rate per ET in the primary transfer cycle.
Result(s): Implantation rate per embryo transferred showed an improvement in the frozen group compared with the fresh group, but not significantly (75% vs. 67%). The ongoing PR (80% vs. 61%) and live birth rates (77% vs. 59%) were significantly higher in the frozen group compared with the fresh group.
Conclusion(s): Either treatment protocol investigated in the present study can be a reasonable option for patients. Freezing all embryos allows for inclusion of all blastocysts in the cohort of embryos available for transfer, which also results in a higher proportion of patients reaching ET. These findings suggest a trend toward favoring the freeze-all option as a preferred transfer strategy when using known euploid embryos.
Clinical trial registration number: NCT02000349.
Keywords: PGS; aneuploidy; embryos; transfer.
Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.