Abstract
Purpose: This clinical study was designed to identify and compare the pregnancy rates of simultaneous program of natural-cycle IVF and cryopreserved-thawed ET (NICE) with those of natural-cycle IVF and cryopreserved-thawed ET.
Methods: All three groups comprised spontaneously ovulating infertile women under the age of 40 and without any male factor present. The NICE program was performed in 36 patients (47 cycles) who had previously undergone IVF-ET resulting in cryopreserved embryos. As control groups, the natural-cycle IVF was performed in 45 patients (80 cycles), and the cryopreserved-thawed ET alone in 29 patients (40 cycles).
Results: The cancellation rate of the initiated cycles prior to ET was 19.1% (9/47) in the NICE group, 23.8% (19/80) in the natural-cycle IVF group, and 2.5% (1/40) in the cryopreserved-thawed ET group. The mean number of embryos transferred was 4.0±1.1 (2–5) in the NICE group, 1.0 in the natural-cycle IVF group, and 4.2±1.8 (1–5) in the cryopreserved-thawed ET group. The clinical pregnancy rates per aspiration cycle (32.5%) and per ET cycle (34.2%) in the NICE group were significantly higher than those (14.9, 16.4%) in the natural-cycle IVF group. The clinical and delivered pregnancy rates per ET (34.2, 26.3%) in the NICE group were higher than those (20.5, 15.4%) in the cryopreserved-thawed ET group, without statistical significance.
Conclusions: Since the NICE program results in saving the fresh oocyte for patients participating in cryopreserved-thawed ET, more favorable pregnancy rates may be obtained from NICE cycles in women ovulating normally who had previously undergone IVF-ET with embryo cryopreservation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Steptoe PC, Edwards RG: Birth after the reimplantation of a human embryo. Lancet 1978;2:366
Meldrum DR, Wisot A, Hamilton F, Gutlay AL, Kempton W, Huynh D: Routine pituitary suppression with luprolide before ovarian stimulation for oocyte retrieval. Fertil Steril 1989;51:455–459
Hughes EG, Fedorkow DM, Daya S, Sagle MA, Van de Koppel P, Collins JA: The routine use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists prior to in vitro fertilization and gamete intrafallopian transfer: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Fertil Steril 1992;58:888–896
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, American Fertility Society: Assisted reproductive technology in the United States and Canada: 1991 results from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology generated from the American Fertility Society Registry. Fertil Steril 1993;59:956–962
Mohr LR, Trounson A, Freemann L: Deep freezing and transfer of human embryos. J Vitro Fert Embryo Transfer 1985;2:1–10
Fehilly CB, Cohen J, Simons RF, Fishel SB, Edwards RG: Cryopreservation of cleaving embryos and expanded blastocysts in the human: A comparative study. Fertil Steril 1985;44:638–644
Mandelbaum J, Junca AM, Plachot M, Alnot MO, Salat-Baroux J, Alvarez S, Tibi C, Cohen J, Debache C, Tesquier L: Cryopreservation of human embryos and oocytes. Hum Reprod 1988;3:117–119
Gordts S, Roziers P, Campo R, Noto V: Survival and pregnancy outcome after ultrarapid freezing of human embryos. Fertil Steril 1990;53:469–472
Chang YS, Kim SH, Shin CJ, Kim JG, Moon SY, Lee JY: The efficacy of a combination administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist and gonadotropins for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in IVF. Asia-Oceania J Obstet Gynecol 1990;16:337–345
Kim SH, Choi YM, Shin CJ, Kim JG, Moon SY, Lee JY, Chang YS: In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in natural ovulation cycles. Korean J Obstet Gynecol 1994;37:907–916
Moon SY, Kim CH, Kim SH, Choi YM, Shin CJ, Kim JG, Lee JY, Chang YS: Cryopreservation of human embryos for assisted reproductive technology. Korean J Fertil Steril 1994;21:137–147
Sathanandan M, Macnamee MC, Rainsbury P, Wick K, Brinsden P, Edwards RG: Replacement of frozen-thawed embryos in artificial and natural cycles: A prospective semirandomized study. Hum Reprod 1991;6:685–687
Muasher SJ, Kruithoff C, Simonetti S, Oehninger S, Acosta AA, Jones GS: Controlled preparation of the endometrium with exogenous steroids for the transfer of frozen-thawed preembryos in patients with anovulatory or irregular cycles. Hum Reprod 1991;6:443–445
Cohen J, DeVane GW, Elsner CW, Fehilly CB, Kort HI, Massey JB, Turner TG Jr: Cryopreservation of zygotes and early cleaved human embryos. Fertil Steril 1988;49:283–289
Schmidt CL, de Ziegler D, Gagliardi CL, Mellon RW, Taney FH, Kuhar MJ, Colon JM, Weiss G: Transfer of cryopreserved-thawed embryos: The natural cycle versus controlled preparation of the endometrium with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and exogenous estradiol and progesterone (GEEP). Fertil Steril 1989;52:609–616
Sathanandan M, Macnamee MC, Wick K, Matthews CD: Clinical aspects of human embryo cryopreservation.In A Textbook of In Vitro Fertilization and Assisted Reproduction, PR Brinsden, PA Rainsbury (eds). Park Ridge, IL, Parthenon, 1992, pp 251–263
Cohen J, Inge KL, Wiker SR, Wright G, Fehilly CB, Turner TG Jr: Duration of storage of cryopreserved human embryos. J Vitro Fert Embryo Transfer 1988;5:301–303
Frydman R, Testart J: Principles behind therapeutic embryo freezing. J Vitro Fert Embryo Transfer 1986;3:275–276
Foulot H, Ranoux C, Dubuisson JB, Rambaud D, Aubriot FX, Poirot C: In vitro fertilization without ovarian stimulation: A simplified protocol applied in 80 cycles. Fertil Steril 1989;52:617–621
Paulson RJ, Sauer MV, Francis MM, Macaso TM, Lobo RA: In vitro fertilization in unstimulated cycles: The University of Southern California experience. Fertil Steril 1992;57:290–293
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, S.H., Kim, C.H., Suh, C.S. et al. Simultaneous program of natural-cycle in vitro fertilization and cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer. J Assist Reprod Genet 13, 716–721 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02066425
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02066425