Embryonic Loss in Primates in Relation to In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer

Abstract

In science, we are called upon to recognize and assimilate “the facts” as interpretations, based on data samples that we trust statistically to represent a larger body of conditions or responses, but that are not practically available for examination as a whole. Unlike the performing arts, we cannot produce useful results through creative expression alone; rather, imaginative ideas must be tested with minimal bias to ascertain elements of truth, even if they prove only partially valid. With maturity, these truths are seen to interconnect, producing the dogma of current understanding. In this context, the evidence available to offer secure interpretation on the frequency and causes of early embryonic loss among primates is severely limited. Frequently, requisite data are either incomplete or nonexistent even for humans and the more commonly studied laboratory primates. Despite such restrictions, I hope to present a few persuasive interpretations on the incidence and origins of early embryonic loss in both human and nonhuman primates, with emphasis on their relationship to in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET).