title: Clinical outcomes of frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer in patients requiring whole embryo freezing.
abstract: We compared clinical outcomes amongst frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryo, double and single blastocyst transfers in patients requiring whole embryo freezing. Data of infertile patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in our Reproductive Medicine Center from January 2010 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. According to patients' wishes, patients were divided into cleavage-stage embryo transfer groups (group A, n = 456), double blastocyst transfer group (group B, n = 106), and single blastocyst transfer group (group C, n = 402). We found that the number of frozen embryos was significantly less in groups B and C than in group A (all p < 0.05), but the implantation rate was significantly higher in groups B and C as compared to group A (all p < 0.05). The clinical pregnancy rate and pregnancy rate per included cycle were significantly higher in group B than in groups A and C (all p < 0.05). The multiple pregnancy rate was significantly lower in group C than in groups A and B (all p < 0.05). The rate of early abortion was significantly lower in group C as compared to group A (p < 0.05). The data support the view that it may be the best clinical strategy for patients who require whole embryo freezing and have four or more Day 3 embryos available, to incubate Day 3 embryos into blastocysts, which are then vitrified for elective single blastocyst transfer.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou , China.|b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Qiao-hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Lin-lin
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: He-long
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Cui-lian
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: b Reproductive Medical Center , Henan Provincial People's Hospital , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Hang-sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou , China.
authors.forename: Shi-hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015925:Cryopreservation; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012744:Sex Ratio; D056826:Single Embryo Transfer; D058989:Vitrification
keywords: Blastocyst; frozen-thawed embryo transfer; in-vitro fertilization; pregnancy rate