Fresh embryo transfer may be better for women with low chance of IVF success

Findings do not support a freeze-all strategy in these women, say researchers

2025-01-30

(Press-News.org) Fresh embryo transfer may be a better option than use of frozen embryos for women with a low chance of having a healthy baby by vitro fertilisation (IVF), suggests a trial from China published by The BMJ today.

The researchers say their findings do not support the routine use of the freeze-all strategy in women with low prognosis of IVF treatment success, which can be due to older age, low quantity or quality of eggs, or certain underlying conditions.

IVF has revolutionised infertility treatment and a strategy of freezing all suitable embryos before transfer (freeze-all strategy) is now a routine part of the treatment to help prevent overstimulating the ovaries with fertility drugs to retrieve fresh eggs.

Most studies examining the freeze-all strategy have focused on women with a good prognosis of IVF treatment success, which showed similar cumulative live birth rates between fresh and frozen embryo transfer. But it’s unclear whether women with low prognosis also benefit from this strategy.

To address this evidence gap, researchers set out to compare live birth rates after fresh versus frozen embryo transfer in 838 women aged 33-34 years with a low prognosis for IVF treatment success at nine fertility centres in China.

Between December 2021 and May 2023, participants were randomly assigned to two groups and underwent either frozen or fresh embryo transfer. The live birth rate after the first transfer was then monitored until April 2024.

A total of 132 (32%) of 419 women in the frozen embryo transfer group had a live birth compared with 168 (40%) of 419 in the fresh embryo transfer group.

The frozen embryo group also had a lower rate of pregnancy than the fresh embryo group - 39% (164 of 419) v 47% (197 of 419) - and a lower cumulative live birth rate after further embryo transfers within one year of randomisation - 44% (185 of 419) v 51% (215 of 419).

No differences in birth weight, obstetric complications, or illness risk in newborns were seen between the two groups.

The researchers acknowledge some limitations including differences in the number and stage of the embryos transferred that may partly contribute to the difference in live birth rate between groups.

However, they say the results add to previous trials of women with good or normal prognosis and capture the spectrum of the benefits and risks of freeze-all strategy compared with fresh embryo-transfer strategy.

They conclude: “Fresh embryo transfer may be a better choice for women with low prognosis for IVF in terms of live birth rate compared with frozen embryo transfer.”

And they say further studies are warranted “to explore the optimal number and stage of embryos for fresh transfer in women with low prognosis for IVF to have a singleton pregnancy.”

This trial offers valuable insights for women with a poor prognosis in IVF, but concerns remain about potential biases that could have influenced outcomes, write researchers from the Netherlands in a linked editorial.

They also point to broader implications, particularly for centres offering advanced IVF treatments that involve freezing embryos from multiple IVF cycles before a first transfer, and say “any potential advantages must outweigh drawbacks.”

“Properly assessing the effectiveness of these techniques is essential for improving outcomes in this challenging patient population,” they conclude.

[Ends]

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

First-of-its-kind research identifies beneficial prenatal vitamins to reduce risk of infant death

2025-01-30

Dongqing Wang, an assistant professor of Global and Community Health at George Mason’s College of Public Health, is pioneering research in prenatal nutritional interventions. His latest report identifies prenatal supplements that reduce health risks to small and vulnerable babies. This research was published in the prestigious The Lancet Global Health journal and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Wang found that compared to folic acid and iron alone, a multiple micronutrient supplement ...

Durham University scientists unveil breakthrough in predicting and engineering protein metalation

2025-01-30

-With images- Researchers at Durham University have achieved a major advancement in understanding how proteins bind metals inside cells, a process crucial to life. The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces a pioneering approach that allows scientists to accurately predict and engineer the metalation of proteins, a discovery with far-reaching implications for biotechnology and sustainable biomanufacturing. The research builds upon years of work by the research team, dating back to key discoveries published in 2008. In ...

The benefits of speaking multiple languages

2025-01-29

Encouraging bilingualism at home can have many cognitive benefits, which may be particularly helpful to kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research from the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences indicates. A team of researchers led by Celia Romero, a graduate student in clinical psychology, along with associate professor Lynn Perry, professor Michael Alessandri, and former University professor Lucina Uddin, explored the role of bilingualism in 112 children, including typically developing children and children with autism, between the ages of 7 to 12 years old. Overall, they found that children who spoke two or more languages often had stronger executive ...

Topical mupirocin lowers lupus inflammation

2025-01-29

Systemic lupus erythematosus, more commonly known as lupus, has a variety of symptoms and room for improvement when it comes to treatment. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus is a common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. The condition is characterized by rashes on various parts of the body including the face and scalp, hair loss and scarring of the skin. The rashes are caused by inflammation from the immune system fighting the body. The standard treatment for cutaneous lupus erythematosus is using immunosuppressants and biologic drugs to reduce inflammation. While ...

New atom-based thermometer measures temperature more accurately

2025-01-29

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created a new thermometer using atoms boosted to such high energy levels that they are a thousand times larger than normal. By monitoring how these giant “Rydberg” atoms interact with heat in their environment, researchers can measure temperature with remarkable accuracy. The thermometer’s sensitivity could improve temperature measurements in fields ranging from quantum research to industrial manufacturing. Unlike traditional thermometers, a Rydberg thermometer doesn’t need to be first adjusted or calibrated at the ...

COVID lockdowns disrupted a crucial social skill among preschoolers, trailblazing study finds

2025-01-29

Lockdowns. Social distancing. Shuttered schools and businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping disruptions set off a stampede of “what it’s doing to us” research, focused largely on schoolchildren. How were students’ academics affected? Their mental health? Their social development? Left unexamined was whether the pandemic impacted the social cognition of preschool children — kids younger than 6 — whose social norms were upended by day care closures and families sheltered at home. That changed when a UC Merced ...

Otago scientists discover Antarctic fast ice secrets

2025-01-29

University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka scientists have successfully analysed more than 30 years of vital data on the thickness of landfast sea ice in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound, which will prove useful to measure future impacts of climate change. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, set out to discover what key influences determine the thickness of landfast sea-ice, known as fast ice, using data from 1986 to 2022. Fast ice is frozen ocean water that is attached to shorelines and persists for at least 15 days. It provides vital habitats for penguins and seals, as well as fish, krill and algae underneath the ice. Scientists ...

Study finds three new safe, effective ways to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis

2025-01-29

Tuberculosis remains one of the top infectious disease killers worldwide, a challenge amplified by drug-resistant forms of the disease. Now, in a major step forward, an international clinical trial has found three new safe and effective drug regimens for tuberculosis that is resistant to rifampin, the most effective of the first-line antibiotics used to treat TB. The research, published Jan. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine, was led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and other members of the endTB project, ...

A weekly injection could replace painful daily treatment for rare fat disorder

2025-01-29

Rutgers Health researchers have found that a weekly injection of diabetes medication could replace painful daily hormone shots for people with a rare genetic form of lipodystrophy that leaves patients with almost zero fat tissue, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine. Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL), which affects only a few thousand people worldwide, results in severe metabolic disease, diabetes, insulin resistance and reduced life expectancy. With no fat tissue for proper storage, fat accumulates in organs ...

More Americans than ever are confident about providing lifesaving CPR, new survey suggests

2025-01-29

DALLAS, January 29, 2025 — When someone’s heart stops pumping, early CPR can save their life.[1] New survey research from the American Heart Association reveals more Americans are prepared to provide that lifesaving rhythm for their friends, family and community. The newly released data, conducted by Decision Analyst on behalf of the American Heart Association, indicates more U.S. adults now say they feel ready to handle and respond to a cardiac arrest[2]. When Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football in January ...

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 upregulates the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 signaling pathway to mitigate hepatocyte ferroptosis in chronic liver injury

Fresh embryo transfer may be better for women with low chance of IVF success

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: