Percepciones y creencias sobre criopreservación embrionaria en mujeres y hombres que se realizan técnicas de reproducción asistida en Santiago, Chile.
Marissa Velarde, Sofía P Salas, Rosario Domínguez, Teresa López, Pablo Céspedes, Irene Furman, Anita Godoy, Magdalena Castro, Fernando Zegers-Hochschild
Author Information
Marissa Velarde: Programa de Ética y Políticas Públicas en Reproducción Humana, Universidad Diego Portales.
Sofía P Salas: Programa de Ética y Políticas Públicas en Reproducción Humana, Universidad Diego Portales.
Rosario Domínguez: Unidad de Medicina Reproductiva, Clínica Las Condes.
Teresa López: Unidad de Medicina Reproductiva, Clínica Las Condes.
Pablo Céspedes: Instituto de Investigaciones Materno Infantiles (IDIMI), Universidad de Chile.
Irene Furman: Instituto de Investigaciones Materno Infantiles (IDIMI), Universidad de Chile.
Anita Godoy: Instituto de Investigaciones Materno Infantiles (IDIMI), Universidad de Chile.
Magdalena Castro: Subidrección de Investigación, Dirección Académica, Clínica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile.
Fernando Zegers-Hochschild: Programa de Ética y Políticas Públicas en Reproducción Humana, Universidad Diego Portales.
BACKGROUND AND OBJETIVE: Although embryo cryopreservation is frequently used as part of assisted reproductive technology, quantitave information addressing how infertile couples live the experience of having cryopreserved embryos is lacking in Chile. The aim of this study is to examine men and women's perception and beliefs regarding their cryopreserved embryos, as well as their perspective on embryo donation and disposition. Methods: 153 women and men with frozen embryos from a public hospital, Instituto de Investigactiones Materno Infantil, and a private clinic, Clínica Las Condes, in Santiago, Chile, responded between May 2015 and May 2016 to an anonymous online survey addressing their perceptions and beliefs concerning their cryopreserved embryos. RESULTS: Respondents considered their frozen embryos to be equivalent to a child (53.2%) or a potential child (40.7%). Only 8% regard them as an organized group of cells. Over 60% of respondents disagree with destroying surplus embryos or using them for research. Participants from the public hospital are more willing to donate their embryos to another couple than those from the private center (61% vs 40%; P=0.016); 34% of respondents agreed to donate surplus embryos to same sex couples. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that Chilean couples are emotionally bound to their frozen embryos, and that discarding them is not an option. The results from this survey will help strengthen counseling for couples to enable them to make informed decisions regarding their surplus embryos.
