Live Birth Rate Lower With Frozen Versus Fresh Embryo Transfer
FRIDAY, Feb. 7, 2025 -- Frozen embryo transfer is associated with a lower live birth rate compared with fresh embryo transfer among women with a low prognosis for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, according to a study published online Jan. 29 in The BMJ.
Daimin Wei, M.D., Ph.D., from Shandong University in Jinan, China, and colleagues conducted a pragmatic, multicenter, randomized controlled trial in nine academic fertility centers in China involving 838 women with a low prognosis for IVF treatment (defined by no more than nine oocytes retrieved or poor ovarian reserve). Participants were randomly assigned to undergo frozen or fresh embryo transfer on the day of oocyte retrieval. All embryos were cryopreserved in the frozen embryo transfer group, and participants underwent frozen embryo transfer later. In the fresh embryo transfer group, participants underwent fresh embryo transfer after oocyte retrieval.
The researchers found that the rate of live birth was lower in the frozen versus fresh embryo transfer group in the intention-to-treat analysis (32 versus 40 percent; relative ratio, 0.79). The rate of clinical pregnancy was also lower for the frozen embryo group versus the fresh embryo group (39 versus 47 percent; relative ratio, 0.83). The frozen versus fresh embryo transfer group had a lower cumulative live birth rate (44 versus 51 percent; relative ratio, 0.86). There were no differences in terms of birth weight, incidence of obstetric complications, or neonatal morbidity risk.
"Fresh embryo transfer may be a better choice for women with low prognosis for IVF in terms of live birth rate compared with frozen embryo transfer," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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