Clinical evaluation of the efficiency of an oocyte donation program using egg cryo-banking
Zsolt P. Nagy, M.D., Ph.D., Ching-Chien Chang, Ph.D., Daniel B. Shapiro, M.D., Diana Patricia Bernal, D.V.M., Carlene W. Elsner, M.D., Dorothy Mitchell-Leef, M.D., Andrew A. Toledo, M.D., and Hilton I. Kort, M.D.
Reproductive Biology Associates, Atlanta, Georgia
Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of oocyte donation cycles using egg ‘‘cryo-banking.’’
Design: Study conditions for vitrified/warmed oocytes for 20 non-autologous recipients (from 10 donors) were set prospectively, and outcomes of it were later compared retrospectively to nine fresh donations cycles.
Setting: Private assisted reproductive technology program.
Patient(s): Ten donors and 20 infertile recipients. Intervention(s): Oocytes were vitrified 3 to 4 hours after collection and cryo-stored. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed 3 hours after warming, and embryos were in vitro cultured for 5 days. Two or three blastocysts were transferred per patient.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Oocyte survival, fertilization, development, clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates.
Result(s): A total of 153 oocytes were warmed and 134 survived. A total of 117 fertilized and 68% developed to blastocyst stage. A total of 47 embryos were transferred (2.35 embryos per recipient) and 26 implanted. Fifteen patients achieved ongoing pregnancies initially, and two additional pregnancies were obtained after transfer of supernumerary vitrified/warmed embryos. Nine of the 10 donors from the current study had previous fresh dona- tions cycles from where seven clinical pregnancies were established in nine recipients, providing the base for comparison.
Conclusion(s): Oocyte donation using vitrified/warmed oocytes can provide high pregnancy and implantation rates, and thus can be considered as efficient treatment procedure with additional benefits to recipients.
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