A Stanford University study has shown that in some IVF cases it is better to postpone embryo implantation. Staying it would be a good strategy especially for women with high levels of progesterone. In these cases, a clear improvement in the final outcome of the plant would be obtained.

The in vitro fertilization process (IVF) begins with the injection of reproductive hormones that stimulate ovulation development. The doctors then collect the eggs and fertilize them in the lab. The embryos thus obtained are transferred to the maternal womb a few days later, or they are frozen. Usually, doctors quickly transfer the best embryos, setting aside the lowest quality.

The researchers analyzed 2,910 pregnancy attempts with IVF. They compared the final outcome of fresh embryo and frozen embryo implants. To have reliable results, they excluded from the analysis embryonic implants of low quality frozen. The major differences were found among women with high progesterone levels and over the age of 35.

The more adult and more progesterone women would have 73% more chance of conceiving using frozen embryos. This means that implanting the embryos immediately could be counterproductive, at least with certain people. An excess of progesterone could in fact hinder the good performance of the plant. Better then wait for the hormone levels to lower and in the meantime freeze the embryos.

Source: med.stanford.edu