Secondary donation of frozen embryos is more common after pregnancy initiation with donated eggs than after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer and gamete intrafallopian transfer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the availability of donated cryopreserved embryos.


METHODS
Retrospective review.


METHODS
Community hospital-based donor oocyte program.


METHODS
Eighty-nine consecutive infertile couples and women who had 94 sets of embryos cryopreserved after pregnancy initiation with unfertilized donated eggs between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1996.


METHODS
Cryopreservation of fertilized ova or cleaving embryos.


METHODS
Disposition of frozen embryos as of June 1, 1997.


RESULTS
Of the 94 sets of frozen embryos, 52 (55.3%) were thawed into the original recipient. At an average of 30 months since the treatment cycle, 26 (27.7%) sets of embryos remain in storage. Of the 16 sets of embryos not thawed for transfer, 11 sets (11.7%) were donated and 5 sets (5.3%) were destroyed. The fraction of spare embryos donated was much higher after pregnancy initiation with unfertilized donated eggs than after IVF-ET and GIFT (68.8% versus 19.1%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Couples and women who did not use their frozen embryos after pregnancy initiation with unfertilized donated eggs were twice as likely to donate them as to have them destroyed. Secondary donation of cryopreserved embryos was much more common after pregnancy initiation with unfertilized donated eggs than after standard IVF-ET and GIFT.
Sehnert
B
B
Alta Bates in Vitro Fertilization Program, Berkeley, California, USA.
Chetkowski
R J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015181:Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018587:Oocyte Donation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies