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Neonatal outcomes after the implantation of human embryos vitrified using a closed-system device

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Closed vitrification poses a risk of adversely affecting embryo development, while it may minimize the risk of contamination. We assessed the effects of closed-system human embryo vitrification on fetal development after implantation, neonatal outcome, and clinical safety.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at a private fertility clinic. A total of 875 vitrified-warmed blastocysts that were single-transferred under hormone-replacement cycles between November 2011 and December 2013 were randomly divided into two groups (closed vitrification, n 313; open vitrification, n 562) after receiving the patients’ consent forms. Developmental competence after implantation, including gestational age, birth weight, sex, Apgar score, and anomalies of newborns, after the transfer of blastocysts vitrified by closing vitrification was compared with that obtained in the case of open vitrification.

Results

There were no significant differences between the use of closed and open vitrification systems in embryo development after implantation, gestational age, birth weight, sex ratio, Apgar score, and congenital anomalies of newborns.

Conclusion

Human embryos can be vitrified using a closed vitrification system without impairment of neonatal development.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JPS-RFTF 23580397 to S.H.).

Conflicts of interest

None of the authors has a conflict of interest to disclose. Some of these data were presented at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, October 12–17, 2013 in Boston, and a part of the data of viability after vitrification was reported in J Assist Reprod Genet 2013; 30:371–376.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IVF Namba Clinic, 1-17-28 Minami-horie, Nishi-ku, Osaka, 550-0015, Japan

    Hideyuki Iwahata, Shu Hashimoto, Masayasu Inoue, Tomoko Inoue, Keijiro Ito, Yoshiharu Nakaoka & Yoshiharu Morimoto

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hideyuki Iwahata, Shu Hashimoto & Nao Suzuki

Authors
  1. Hideyuki Iwahata
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  2. Shu Hashimoto
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  3. Masayasu Inoue
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  4. Tomoko Inoue
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  5. Keijiro Ito
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  6. Yoshiharu Nakaoka
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  7. Nao Suzuki
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  8. Yoshiharu Morimoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shu Hashimoto.

Additional information

Capsule Closed vitrification, which eliminates the risk of cross-contamination during cooling and storage in liquid nitrogen, does not cause a debilitating effect on human embryo growth and development.

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Iwahata, H., Hashimoto, S., Inoue, M. et al. Neonatal outcomes after the implantation of human embryos vitrified using a closed-system device. J Assist Reprod Genet 32, 521–526 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-015-0431-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-015-0431-4

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