Zeitschrift für Schwangerschaft und Kindergesundheit

Abstrakt

Frozen Blastocyst Transfer Has Similar Success Rates in Asian and Caucasian Patients

Stephanie L.F. Gustin, Ruth B. Lathi, Amin A. Milki and Lynn M. Westphal

With increasing evidence that ethnicity plays a role in health and treatment outcomes, the goal of this study was to evaluate the outcome of frozen blastocyst transfer in Asian compared to Caucasian women. In this same patient population, we previously found that fresh blastocyst transfer had a lower success rate in the Asian patients. The current study then examined 72 patients who returned and underwent subsequent frozen blastocyst transfer, of which 42 (58.3%) self-identified as Caucasian and 30 (41.7%) as Asian. With the exception of body mass index, both groups within this subset of the original study population had comparable baseline characteristics. After frozen blastocyst transfer, implantation rates (23% vs. 30%), pregnancy rates (33% vs. 33%), and live birth rates (26% vs. 27%) were not significantly different between Caucasians and Asians, respectively. Thus, we found no difference in outcomes with frozen blastocyst transfer in Asian patients compared to Caucasian patients, despite the fact that the former had lower success rates with fresh blastocyst transfer. Given this finding, further large prospective, randomized studies are necessary to determine whether race and ethnicity should prompt physicians to further individualize ART procedures. Stanford IRB: Protocol 20102