title: The frozen embryo and its nonresponding parents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe patients who at least once did not reply to correspondence of the center about embryo disposition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anonymous questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital (Belgium).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients whose embryos were stored for at least 2 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mail survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients' reply behavior, their characteristics, their embryo disposition decision, and their attitudes toward this decision.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 79%. Twelve percent of the patients were nonrepliers, mostly because they were not able to reach a (joint) decision. Nonrepliers were somewhat older, their last treatment cycle was longer ago, and it more often had a negative outcome. Nonrepliers were childless twice as often as other patients. They also more often experienced anticipated regret about the decision, and they valued their embryos more often in relation to the use for their own treatment. The proportion of patients who seldom thought about their embryos was the same in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment failure, anticipated regret, and valuing the embryo on the basis of probability of use influence patients' reply behavior and may be key elements for prevention measures.
authors.affiliation: Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, and Department of Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. veerle.provoost@ugent.be
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Provoost
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pennings
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Sutter
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhont
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D011177:Postal Service; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires