Donation of frozen embryos after in vitro fertilization is uncommon.

Objective: To determine the availability of donated cryopreserved embryos.

Methods: Retrospective review. Methods: Community hospital-based IVF-ET program. Methods: Eighty-three consecutive infertile couples who had 98 sets of embryos cryopreserved after IVF-ET and GIFT between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 1991. Methods: Cryopreservation of fertilized oocytes or cleaving embryos after IVF-ET and GIFT. Methods: Disposition of frozen embryos as of December 31, 1995.

Results: Of 98 sets of frozen embryos, 71 (72.4%) were thawed for transfer into the infertile woman. At an average of 6 years since the treatment cycle, six sets of embryos (6.1%) remain in storage. Of 21 sets of embryos not thawed for autologous transfer, the majority (17.4%) were discarded, leaving only four clutches (4.1%) available for donation.

Conclusions: Couples who did not use their frozen embryos after IVF-ET and GIFT were four times more likely to destroy them than to donate them.