The following is a summary of “Nature (almost) always prevails – challenging the status quo of artificial cycle frozen embryo transfers,” published in the December 2023 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Santos-Ribeiro et al.
Because of improvements in cryopreservation methods and the use of the “freeze-all” approach, frozen embryo transfers (FET) are becoming more common in assisted reproductive technology (ART). There has been discussion about whether to use artificial or natural cycles for FET planning, considering things like the sensitivity of the endometrium, the ability to make changes to the schedule, and the baby’s success.
Artificial cycle procedures are convenient and flexible, but studies have shown that they may have some problems, such as a higher chance of miscarriage and hypertension disorders during pregnancy. On the other hand, natural cycle methods require close tracking of both endometrial development and follicular growth, which can mean more trips to the doctor and trouble with timing. Several ideas have been put forward to improve the use of natural cycle FET. These include lowering cycle tracking, dealing with anovulation through minor stimulation, and looking into new FET methods.
These new methods, like expanding the time when human chorionic gonadotrophin can be given and the natural proliferative phase procedure, showed promise and made things easier for patients. That being said, more study was needed to determine when and how well these tactics work best. Making natural cycle FETs more useful is important for getting more people to use them in ART.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472648323004522
