Do patient factors influence embryologists’ decisions to freeze borderline blastocysts?

Research question To investigate whether patient factors influence the decision to freeze a blastocyst with low implantation potential. Design This experimental study assessed 170 practicing embryologists from a variety of countries who were recruited via an online survey. Participants were currentl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics 2020-08, Vol.37 (8), p.1975-1997
Main Authors: Burns, T., Hammond, E. R., Cree, L., Morbeck, D. E., Consedine, N. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age
Assisted Reproduction Technologies
Blastocyst - physiology
Blastocysts
Cohort Studies
Cryopreservation
Decision making
Embryo Culture Techniques
Embryo Implantation - genetics
Embryo Implantation - physiology
Embryo Transfer
Embryology
Embryonic Development - genetics
Female
Freezing - adverse effects
Gynecology
Human Genetics
Humans
Live Birth
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pregnancy
Reproductive Medicine
Trophectoderm
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Summary:Research question To investigate whether patient factors influence the decision to freeze a blastocyst with low implantation potential. Design This experimental study assessed 170 practicing embryologists from a variety of countries who were recruited via an online survey. Participants were currently practicing embryologists, who grade blastocysts as part of this role. The survey presented decision-making ‘vignettes’ to participants. These included specific patient information, as well as an image of an expanded blastocyst that was of borderline quality for inner cell mass and trophectoderm, for which the embryologist selected whether or not to freeze. High/low maternal age, the presence/absence of other top quality blastocysts, and the presence/absence of previously unsuccessful IVF cycles were systematically varied within the patient information in a 2 × 2 × 2 design. Participants reported how likely they would be to freeze a particular blastocyst on a scale of 1 (Extremely Unlikely) to 7 (Extremely Likely), and whether or not they would ultimately freeze each blastocyst (Yes or No). Results Lower maternal age, no other high-quality blastocysts within the cohort, and multiple unsuccessful IVF cycles were associated with greater likelihood of recommending to freeze ( P  
ISSN:1058-0468
1573-7330
DOI:10.1007/s10815-020-01843-1