The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no significant difference in the rates of live births.
For women using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to have children, using either fresh or frozen embryos have similar success rates for most women, according to an international team of researchers.
A previous study showed that using frozen embryos resulted in more live births among women who do not ovulate normally, but not as much was known about using fresh versus frozen embryos in women who do ovulate normally.
In the new study, researchers compared the live birth rates of in vitro fertilization procedures on women who had infertility but otherwise ovulated normally.
“This is an important and distinct finding from our previous IVF study, and it suggests that one type of IVF treatment does not fit all, and treatments should be chosen based on specific patient characteristics,” said Professor Richard S. Legro of Penn State College of Medicine.
A total of 2,157 women with normal ovulation who were beginning their first round of in vitro fertilization participated in the study.
The women were randomly assigned to receive either fresh or frozen embryos. The researchers then compared the rates of live birth between the two groups.
They found no significant difference in the rates of live births, with the group of women who received frozen embryos having a live birth rate of 48.8 per cent while the group receiving fresh embryos had a rate of 50.2 per cent.
The study was published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.
