Frozen embryos: the future for IVF

Researchers' breakthrough means end to years of traumatic drug therapy for many women. Freezing embryos from IVF treatment 'cuts long-term risks'

January 3, 2009--A British clinic has dramatically improved the success rate of fertility treatment using frozen embryos, promising improved pregnancy rates and offering hope to thousands of women who would otherwise face years of traumatic hormone therapy.

Freezing embryos has often been seen as a costly waste of time because its success rate can be about half that achieved with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) using fresh embryos.

But the advances made at the Oxford Fertility Unit (OFU) will make freezing eggs a more attractive proposition for many couples. The procedure reduces the need for repeated cycles of hormone therapy and egg extraction, which can be unpleasant and result in serious side-effects such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

Many fertility clinics offer only limited services for freezing embryos left over from an IVF cycle. But a study at the OFU found that a woman could increase her chances of becoming pregnant from a single IVF cycle by 50 per cent if she stored any spare embryos that doctors deemed suitable for freezing...Read the entire article: The Independent