In a study published in theNew England Journal of Medicineon January 10, Chinese researchers compared the live birth rates of in vitro fertilization procedures on women who had infertility but ovulated normally. They found that there was not a significant difference in live births between women who received frozen embryos versus fresh embryos.
This study was conducted in 20 reproductive medical centers. Previous research from the team showed that using frozen embryos gave rise to more live births among women with polycystic ovarian syndrome -- women who do not ovulate normally -- but the researchers said not as much was known about using fresh versus frozen embryos in women who do ovulate normally. The research was published on theNew England Journal of Medicineon August 11, 2016.
"This is an important finding from our previous IVF study, and it suggests that one type of IVF treatment does not fit all and treatments should be chosen individualized," said Prof. Chen Zijiang fromCenter for the reproductive medicine, Shandong University.
The large-scale randomized controlled clinical trial recruited 2,157 women with normal ovulation of their first in vitro fertilization. The women were randomly assigned to receive either fresh or frozen embryos. The researchers then compared the rates of live birth between the two groups. They found no significant difference in the rates of live births. The researchers also found that using frozen embryos resulted in a lower risk of the woman developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a condition that sometimes affects women undergoing fertility treatment. Severe cases can result in serious illness or death.
This study produced scientific information regarding to the efficacy and safety of “freeze-all and frozen embryo transfer strategy”. These results provide further high-quality evidence for clinical practice in the treatment of infertility and for individualized therapy.
As an outstanding team of Shandong University, the team of reproductive medicine has published several high-impact papers in the last 2 years in the top journals such as N Engl J Med, Cell Research, J Clin Invest, Am J Hum Genet, JCEM, etc. Their papers have been evaluated by international peers as academic papers with significant international influence. Key members of the team have been invited by speech at international conferences.
For further information, please read:
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1705334?query=featured_home
Written by: Shi Yuhua
Edited by: Xie Tingting