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Pregnancies after transfer of ultrarapidly frozen human embryos
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Anderson Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Purpose:
We report our experience of freezing human embryos using an ultrarapid freezing method.
Methods:
The patients were superovulated. Oocytes were inseminated and cultured in HTF + 10% serum. A maximum of three embryos was transferred and the rest of the embryos were frozen ultrarapidly after a 3-min equilibration period in PB1 + 3.5 M DMSO + 0.25 M sucrose. Embryos were thawed in a 37 degrees C water bath for 6 sec, then cultured in PB1 + 20% serum for 10 min. The surviving embryos were transferred into patients on the same day of thawing.
Results:
Sixty-three embryos were thawed, of which 52 embryos (83%) survived with at least one intact blastomere. Nineteen frozen-thawed embryo transfers were made. The mean embryos per transfer was 2.7. Three pregnancies (16%/transfer) were established. One miscarriage occurred in the eighth week of pregnancy. Two pregnancies went to term and three healthy infants were born.
Conclusions:
The present data demonstrate that ultrarapid freezing is a method worth consideration in the area of human embryo freezing.