Embryo Research Completed in SWFL Presented in Canada at Fertility Conference

Oct. 9, 2012 - PRLog -- In an effort to expand knowledge about embryo donation and to support donors, recipients and children conceived through this family building option, EDI Medical Director Dr. Craig Sweet recently conducted an in-depth research project in conjunction with Florida Gulf Coast University. The project sought to determine which embryo recipient characteristics would be most preferred by potential embryo donors. The results were presented at the recent Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, from September 6 - 9, 2012.

INTRODUCTION
While approximately one-third of all ART cycles will result in excess cryopreserved embryos, nearly half of these embryos will not be used for reproduction by the patients who created them. Of those embryos not used for reproduction, at least one-third will be discarded or abandoned. This study was designed to clarify which embryo recipient characteristics were preferred by potential embryo donors and their perceived order of importance.

In 2012, 156 patients from Dr. Sweet’s general infertility practice, Specialists In Reproductive Medicine & Surgery, P.A, who had not yet made final disposition decisions regarding their cryopreserved embryos, were selected to be part of the study. Each study subject was sent a 73-question survey with 40 patients (26%) agreeing to participate in the study. The Institutional Review Board of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, approved the study and survey.

THE FINDINGS
● Study participants ranked eight potential embryo recipient characteristics in order of decreasing importance in a statistically significant way: education, marital status, age, sexual preference, gross income, religion, race, and geographic location.
● Lower income potential embryo donors (<$100K/year) felt education was less important compared to other study participants.
● Higher-income potential embryo donors (≥$100K/year) with at least a college education ranked the education stipulation significantly more important compared to both - Lower income potential embryo donors with a college education and higher income potential embryo donors without a college education.
● The religious stipulation was significantly more important to potential embryo donors who described themselves as religious.

SUMMARY COMMENTS
The majority of potential embryo donors in the study felt specific embryo recipient characteristics should be available upon request. Eight embryo recipient characteristics were ranked by potential embryo donors, with education and marital status being considered most important. The education, religious and annual family incomes of the potential embryo donors significantly influenced their ranking of the stipulations. This was the first study of its kind to evaluate so many potential stipulations while simultaneously ranking them in the order of importance from the perspective of potential embryo donors.

To examine a PDF version of the poster visit: http://embryodonation.com/downloads/CFAS.pdf.

EDI’s dedicated mission is to increase the number of frozen embryos donated while simultaneously reducing the number of frozen embryos abandoned or discarded and to assist in matching these donated embryos to patients in need, regardless of race, religion, ancestry, sexual preference or marital status.  EDI is a subdivision of Specialists In Reproductive Medicine & Surgery, P.A. (SRMS), which has been providing embryo donation services for 10 years as well as compassionate reproductive endocrine and infertility care for over 20 years.

For more information about the company’s history, philosophy, services and devoted staff, visit www.EmbryoDonation.com. Frequent updates are available at EDI’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Digg and Vimeo pages – all accessible via the EDI website.

ABOUT EMBRYO DONATION INTERNATIONAL (EDI)
Embryo Donation International (EDI) is a private reproductive endocrinology and infertility practice located in Fort Myers, Florida. It is one of the few, non-faith-based, non-discriminatory embryo donation facilities in the United States. Founded by Dr. Craig R. Sweet in 2011 as an expansion of their 10 year-old embryo donation program (sometimes referred to as embryo adoption), it is one of the most experienced and cost-effective embryo donation centers in the United States. For more information, contact Dr. Sweet at 800.334.2184, 239.275.5728 or visit www.EmbryoDonation.com.