Purpose: To study the influence of post-thawed culture (2-4 h and 20-24 h) on the outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycle.
Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 1,353 patients were undergoing the FET treatment at the reproductive medical center between June 2010 and July 2012. 3,398 frozen-thawed embryos were divided in two study groups, depending on their post-thawed culture period: short culture (2-4 h) group and long culture (20-24 h) group. Groups were compared including clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, spontaneous abortion rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, multiple pregnancy rate, live birth rate and birth weight.
Results: When embryos including at least one grade I embryo after thawed transferred, the clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, multiple pregnancy rate, abortion rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, live birth rate and birth weight were similar in the short culture group compared with these in the long culture group.
Conclusions: The outcomes of the two approaches (short culture and long culture) are no different in FET cycles.