Frozen embryos: a life-saving option

Objective: To discuss an additional option for frozen embryos that can be a life-saving alternative. Design: Case report and literature review. Setting: Academic fertility center. Patient(s): A woman with a previous hysterectomy and frozen embryos who had a daughter afflicted with aplastic anemia. Intervention(s): Four thawed multicell embryos were transfered to the patient's 37-year-old multiparous sister. Main Outcome Measure(s): Alternative disposition of frozen embryos. Result(s): The HLA type of the infant was found to be an exact match for the daughter dying from aplastic anemia. Conclusion(s): The use of frozen embryos to prolong an existing individual's life is an additional ethical option to be considered by couples and individuals with cryopreserved embryos. (Fertil Steril (R) 2008;90:849. e15-e16. (C) 2008 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)