A new study has found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome have better chances to conceive in the first try with frozen embryos (49%) rather than fresh embryos (42%). The study has also found little higher risk of dangerous high blood pressure in pregnancy and newborn death among women who received frozen embryos.

Study’s lead researcher Dr. Richard Legro said that generally, fresh embryos are preferred over frozen embryos for the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). But evidence has been emerging that frozen embryos have the chance of improving the birth rate among women having polycystic ovary syndrome.

The researchers have also affirmed that frozen embryos might also lower the rate of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a situation in which the ovaries swell and become painful, and other pregnancy complications.

When women undergo IVF, women are treated with hormones in order to increase production of eggs. This can have a big impact on success rate of implanting embryos. Legro said that when frozen embryos are used, they provide time for hormone levels in the uterus to return to normal hence improves the chance of successful implantation of embryo.

In the study, the researchers have randomly assigned over 1,500 infertile Chinese women having the syndrome and were having their first IVF cycle to use either fresh embryo transfer or frozen embryos transfer.

The researchers noticed that women using frozen embryos were having a greater pregnancy success rate and fewer miscarriages than women given fresh embryos. Women given frozen embryos were also having lesser chances of hyperstimulation syndrome than women given fresh embryos.

Dr. Christos Coutifaris from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine has affirmed that the findings are not sufficient to recommend that frozen embryos should be used.

http://perfscience.com/content/2144623-frozen-embryos-might-be-better-fresh-embryos-women-polycystic-ovary-syndrome