Unused Embryos Vex Infertility Patients
Survey Shows Many Couples Aren't Sure What to Do With Leftover Frozen Embryos
Dec. 4, 2008 -- Couples who have unused and unwanted frozen embryos as a result of infertility treatment often feel conflicted about what to do with them, with disposal and donation frequently seen as unacceptable options.
This is the finding from the largest survey ever conducted examining fertility patients' attitudes toward their stored, frozen embryos.
There are about half a million such embryos in storage in the U.S. The survey revealed that many patients remain in limbo about what to do with their embryos once they have no more need for them.
One in five patients who said they had completed their childbearing indicated that they were likely to freeze their embryos "forever," while 36% said they were likely to thaw and dispose of the embryos.
And just 34% said they were somewhat or very likely to donate the embryos for use by other infertile couples.
The survey was published today online in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
"The prevailing view in the philosophical debate about this issue is that patients who care about their embryos will choose to donate them to another couple, but this is not how patients often see it," Duke University Medical Center ob-gyn and bioethicist Anne Drapkin Lyerly, MD, tells WebMD. "Patients may care very much about what happens to their embryos, but that doesn't meant they want them to become children."
For couples facing infertility treatment, the question of disposing of frozen embryos may either never come up or be far down their list of concerns.
But once treatment is complete, patients commonly face the decision of what to do with the frozen embryos they don't plan to use.
One study shows that as many as 70% of patients with frozen embryos who consider their families complete continue to pay annual storage fees for five years or longer.
The newly published survey included more than 1,000 patients treated at infertility clinics across the country. Four out of five patients had at least one child at the time they completed the survey, and 44% had two or more children.
Unused Embryos Vex Infertility Patients
Survey Shows Many Couples Aren't Sure What to Do With Leftover Frozen Embryos
Dec. 4, 2008 -- Couples who have unused and unwanted frozen embryos as a result of infertility treatment often feel conflicted about what to do with them, with disposal and donation frequently seen as unacceptable options.
This is the finding from the largest survey ever conducted examining fertility patients' attitudes toward their stored, frozen embryos.
There are about half a million such embryos in storage in the U.S. The survey revealed that many patients remain in limbo about what to do with their embryos once they have no more need for them.
One in five patients who said they had completed their childbearing indicated that they were likely to freeze their embryos "forever," while 36% said they were likely to thaw and dispose of the embryos.
And just 34% said they were somewhat or very likely to donate the embryos for use by other infertile couples.
The survey was published today online in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
"The prevailing view in the philosophical debate about this issue is that patients who care about their embryos will choose to donate them to another couple, but this is not how patients often see it," Duke University Medical Center ob-gyn and bioethicist Anne Drapkin Lyerly, MD, tells WebMD. "Patients may care very much about what happens to their embryos, but that doesn't meant they want them to become children."
Donation for Research Preferred
For couples facing infertility treatment, the question of disposing of frozen embryos may either never come up or be far down their list of concerns.
But once treatment is complete, patients commonly face the decision of what to do with the frozen embryos they don't plan to use.
One study shows that as many as 70% of patients with frozen embryos who consider their families complete continue to pay annual storage fees for five years or longer.
The newly published survey included more than 1,000 patients treated at infertility clinics across the country. Four out of five patients had at least one child at the time they completed the survey, and 44% had two or more children.
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