Study question How many frozen embryos are stored in Spain destined for donation to other couples, research, destruction, own use or abandoned? Summary answer In Spain, 5% of frozen embryos are destined for donation to other patients, 17% are fated for research, 17,7% for destruction and 12% are abandoned What is known already According to the latest data from the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) registry, the total number of embryos stored in Spain in 2019, was 668.082. Clinics ask patients to specify their preferences for the embryo’s destinations such as: save the embryos for the future, donation to other patients, research, or discarding the embryos. Embryos were considered abandoned when a patient with frozen embryo/s stored failed to contact the clinic for > 2 years and the patient could not be located. However, it is not known how many embryos are assigned to each destination, neither in Spain nor in any other country Study design, size, duration Reflecting concern about the accumulation of frozen embryos in banks, SEF convened a focus group with key figures in ethics, law, and reproductive medicine to identify possible solutions. The first step was to carry out a questionnaire to all the reproduction centres in Spain to know the number of frozen embryos stored and their destinations. A total of 242 IVF units were contacted through SEF newsletter and participants answered between April and July 2021 Participants/materials, setting, methods Public and private IVF clinics which had cryopreserved embryos were sent questionnaires with requests regarding the number of frozen embryos in each destination: keeping for patients, donated to other patients who met donation criteria (same as for gamete donors) and who did not meet criteria, research to a specific project and without a project, destined for destruction that met the criteria established by law, and that did not meet criteria, and number of embryos abandoned. Main results and the role of chance A total of 71 filled-in questionnaires from 242 IVF clinics were obtained. The response rate to the questionnaire was 29%. Of the respondents, a total of 376.445 stored embryos were reported. 46% of the total cryopreserved embryos were kept for later use by patients. 3.7% were donated to other couples but did not meet the criteria for donation: obtained from women over 35 years, or lack of any required test. 1.4% of the embryos were donated fulfilling the criteria for donation to other patients. 17% of the embryos were donated for research, but less than 1% had an assigned project. 17.7% of the frozen embryos were destined for termination of their conservation, and 1.4% of them did not meet the criteria established by law. A total of 46.046 embryos could be considered abandoned since the patients could not be contacted after more than two years of storage. This represents 12.2% of embryos without a defined destination. Limitations, reasons for caution The main limitation of this study is the low response rate, since out of 242 centres, which obligatory sent their data to the National Registry in 2019, only 71 centres answered. This could be due to the lack of data from some reproduction units Wider implications of the findings It is not known precisely how many frozen embryos have been abandoned in Spain, or what are their other destinations. Clinics are not required by authorities to report these number but to have concrete data on the frozen embryos is crucial to solve the problem of embryo accumulation in banks. Trial registration number Not applicable

中文翻译：

---

P-344 保存在西班牙的冷冻胚胎数量取决于目的地

研究问题 西班牙储存了多少冷冻胚胎用于捐赠给其他夫妇、研究、销毁、自用或遗弃？总结答案 在西班牙，5% 的冷冻胚胎注定要捐赠给其他患者，17% 注定要用于研究，17.7% 用于销毁，12% 被遗弃 已知情况 根据西班牙生育协会的最新数据(SEF) 登记处，2019 年在西班牙储存的胚胎总数为 668.082。诊所要求患者指定他们对胚胎目的地的偏好，例如：为将来保存胚胎、捐赠给其他患者、研究或丢弃胚胎。当一名储存冷冻胚胎的患者未能联系诊所寻求> 2 年，患者无法定位。然而，不知道有多少胚胎被分配到每个目的地，无论是在西班牙还是在任何其他国家 研究设计、大小、持续时间 出于对冷冻胚胎在银行中积累的担忧，SEF 召集了一个焦点小组，其中有伦理、法律方面的关键人物和生殖医学来确定可能的解决方案。第一步是对西班牙的所有生殖中心进行问卷调查，以了解储存的冷冻胚胎数量及其目的地。通过 SEF 时事通讯联系了总共 242 个 IVF 单位，参与者在 2021 年 4 月至 2021 年 7 月期间回答了参与者/材料、设置、方法 向拥有冷冻保存胚胎的公共和私人 IVF 诊所发送了问卷调查，询问每个目的地的冷冻胚胎数量：为患者保管，捐赠给符合捐赠标准的其他患者（与配子捐赠者相同）和不符合标准的患者，对特定项目的研究和没有项目，注定要销毁符合法律规定的标准，但不符合标准，和放弃的胚胎数量。主要结果和机会的作用 共获得来自 242 家 IVF 诊所的 71 份填写好的问卷。问卷的回复率为29%。在受访者中，总共报告了 376.445 个储存的胚胎。46% 的冻存胚胎被保存起来供患者以后使用。3.7% 捐赠给了其他夫妇，但不符合捐赠标准：来自 35 岁以上的女性，或缺乏任何必要的测试。1.4% 的胚胎符合捐赠给其他患者的标准。17% 的胚胎被捐赠用于研究，但只有不到 1% 的胚胎有指定的项目。17.7%的冷冻胚胎注定要终止保存，其中1.4%的胚胎不符合法律规定的标准。总共有 46.046 个胚胎可以被认为是被遗弃的，因为在储存超过两年后无法联系到患者。这代表 12.2% 的胚胎没有明确的目的地。限制，谨慎的原因 本研究的主要限制是回复率低，因为在 242 个中心中，2019 年强制将数据发送到国家登记处，只有 71 个中心回答了。这可能是由于缺乏某些生殖单位的数据 研究结果的更广泛影响 目前尚不清楚西班牙究竟有多少冷冻胚胎被遗弃，或者他们的其他目的地是什么。当局不要求诊所报告这些数字，但掌握冷冻胚胎的具体数据对于解决胚胎在银行中积累的问题至关重要。试用注册号 不适用