title: Embryo disposition: choices made by patients and donor oocyte recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare final embryo disposition between patients and donor oocyte recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Private infertility practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients undergoing IVF with embryo cryopreservation.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Final cryopreserved embryo disposition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,262 patients using autologous oocytes had 5,417 embryos cryopreserved. A majority either used their embryos (39%) or continued storage (35%). Of 364 patients, who did not use their remaining 1,406 embryos, 77 (21%) donated 290 embryos to other infertile couples, 41 (11%) donated 160 embryos for research, and 246 (68%) discarded 956 embryos. Concurrently, 272 donor oocyte recipients had 1,233 embryos cryopreserved. A majority either used their embryos (40%) or continued storage (23%). Of 110 recipients that did not use their remaining 455 embryos, 62 (56%) donated 280 embryos to other infertile couples, 6 (6%) donated 31 embryos for research, and 42 (38%) discarded 144 embryos.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our patient population, a higher proportion of patients with infertility ultimately used or stored their cryopreserved embryos for future reproduction compared with donor oocyte recipients. However, recipients were much more likely to donate to other infertile couples and less likely to discard their remaining embryos compared with patients.
authors.affiliation: Nashville Fertility Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Melanie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018587:Oocyte Donation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*