Journal of International Reproductive Health/Family Planning ›› 2022, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (3): 189-194.doi: 10.12280/gjszjk.20220063

• Original Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Immediate Versus Delayed Frozen-Thawed Embryo Transfer in Patients Following a Freeze-All IVF-ET Cycle

JI Hui, DONG Li, ZHAO Chun, LING Xiu-feng, DING Hui()   

  1. Center of Reproductive Medicine, Women′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing 210004, China
  • Received:2022-02-07 Published:2022-05-15 Online:2022-05-30
  • Contact: DING Hui E-mail:29708635@qq.com

Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the pregnancy outcome after immediate versus delayed frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) following a freeze-all in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycle. Methods: This was a retrospective clinical study conducting FET treatment between June 2019 and March 2021. Infertile women were assigned to either the immediate FET group in which FET was performed in the first menstrual cycle following the failed IVF cycle (n=216), or the delayed FET group in which FET was performed in the second menstrual cycle following the failed IVF cycle (n=1 315). The propensity scoring matching (PSM) was used to control the confounding variables. The numbers of participants in the immediate and delayed FET groups after PSM were 206 and 377, respectively. This article compared the baseline characteristic and clinical outcomes within the two groups. Results: Basic parameters were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05). Patients in the immediate FET group had a comparable implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and live birth rate than those in the delayed FET group (P>0.05). However, a significantly higher early miscarriage rate was depicted in the immediate FET group (22.0% vs. 11.5%, P=0.009). The significance still existed after adjusting for potential confounders in the multiple logistic regression analysis(aOR=2.094, 95%CI: 1.138~3.852, P=0.018). Conclusions: Although the early miscarriage rate was significantly higher following the immediate FET, it produced a similar pregnancy rate than the delayed FET while reducing time to pregnancy and emotional stress.

Key words: Fertilization in vitro, Embryo transfer, Cryopreservation, Pregnancy outcome, Therapy