A GROUNDBREAKING study is to compare the success rate of IVF births using 'fresh' and frozen embryos.
More than a 1000 couples are to take part in the large-scale trial which is the first of its kind in the UK, and will be led by a team from Aberdeen University of Aberdeen in collaboration with the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) Clinical Trials Unit at Oxford University.
Researchers want to see which method produces the greater number of 'healthy' babies, defined at one baby delivered after 37 weeks within normal weight parameters.
The study will also consider the health of the mother and costs to the health service and longer-term to society.
Previously it was thought that frozen embryos led to fewer births.
However, principal investigator Dr Abha Maheshwari made headlines in 2012 when she published a paper calling for a debate into whether freezing embryos is healthier for mother and baby than using fresh embryos.
Current research has found that frozen embryos may have an equal or better chance of resulting in a healthy birth than fresh embryos because it can lead to a lower chance of haemorrhage, premature birth and deaths in the first few weeks of life.
Dr Masheshwari said: “Since our 2012 paper, support for our view that frozen embryos can lead to better, or at least equal results to using fresh embryos has gained more support and it is generally accepted that the quality of the embryo is not compromised via the freezing process.
“Using frozen embryos is potentially also better for the mother as we avoid the risk of ovarian hyper-stimulation, which can make mothers extremely ill and can require hospital admission and, in some rare cases, even lead to death.
“This trial will help to gather robust data allowing us to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each method in a large number of couples.
“Another aspect that we will be considering is the cost of each method to the NHS and the long-term cost to society. There are financial implications for caring for a preterm baby, for example, so these are aspects that will be taken into account.
“We are all excited about getting this trial up and running. It has already received publicity at conferences and the fact that 12 centres across the UK will participate in this trial is testament to how interested the medical community is in evaluating the use of frozen embryos which in future could affect almost every aspect of IVF.”
Researchers are seeking 1,086 couples to take part in a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), funded by £1.41m from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme. This is the first IVF trial ever funded by the body.
Participating couples will be randomly split into two groups – the ‘fresh’ group will have their embryos created and transferred in the same week, whilst the ‘frozen’ group will have the transfer completed sometime within three months of embryo creation.
Each patient will be treated according to their own individual clinical needs and national guidelines will be followed. The only intervention will be regarding delayed or immediate embryo transfer.
Recruitment for the study got under way this week, with the trial set to conclude by the end of 2017.
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