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Updated: Jul 24, 2026
Cryopreservation of Preimplantation Embryos of Cattle, Sheep, and Goats
Published on: August 5, 2011
Outcome in children from cryopreserved embryos
A G Sutcliffe1, S W D'Souza, J Cadman
1St Mary's Hospital, Manchester.
Insights
Children conceived via cryopreserved embryos show normal development, with no significant concerns. Formal assessments revealed minor differences compared to normally conceived children, but overall outcomes were positive.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Embryology
Background:
- Cryopreservation of embryos is a common assisted reproductive technology.
- Assessing the long-term developmental outcomes of children conceived from cryopreserved embryos is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the developmental status of children conceived from cryopreserved embryos.
- To compare their development with a control group of normally conceived children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 91 children conceived from cryopreserved embryos was assessed using the Griffiths Scales of Mental Development.
- A control group of 83 children conceived normally, matched for age, sex, and social class, was included.
- Birth characteristics, including birth weight, gestational age, and mode of delivery, were recorded.
Main Results:
- Children from cryopreserved embryos had lower mean birth weight and gestational age, with a higher rate of caesarean sections.
- Developmental quotients (Griffiths's quotient) in both groups exceeded the standard 100, indicating normal development.
- No statistically significant differences in developmental assessment results were found between singleton and multiple birth subgroups from cryopreserved embryos.
Conclusions:
- Development in children conceived from cryopreserved embryos did not raise concerns.
- Minor differences in development were noted compared to normally conceived peers, but overall outcomes are reassuring.
Abstract:
A cohort of 91 children from cryopreserved embryos and 83 control children who were conceived normally had their development assessed using the Griffiths's scales of mental development. The controls (81 singletons and two twins) of a similar age, sex, and social class were selected from siblings, cousins, and peers of the cryopreserved embryo group (68 singleton, 20 twins, and three triplets). Children from cryopreserved embryos had a lower mean birth weight and mean gestational age and a higher proportion were born by caesarean section. One child from the cryopreserved embryo group had Down's syndrome, three had squints, and four had conductive hearing loss while in the control children, six had squints, and nine had conductive hearing loss. In both groups, including the child with Down's syndrome, the mean Griffiths's quotient was greater than the standard 100. In the children from cryopreserved embryos, the singleton and multiple birth subgroups had statistically similar assessment results. The mean (SD) Griffiths's quotient was 105.69 (13.55) in children from cryopreserved embryos and 108.18 (9.80) in controls at a chronological age of 25.08 (12.86) and 29.19 (14.65) months respectively. Overall, the development in children from cryopreserved embryos did not cause concern though formal testing had highlighted small differences compared with other children conceived normally and of a similar social class.
