P-266 Sharing time-lapse embryo videos with patients: recommendations to prevent patients’ unnecessary distress
Authors: Perrotta M , Hamper J 
Published: June 2022

Study question

How do patients receive time-lapse videos of their own embryos and how do they react to them?

Summary answer

Videos are received in various ways and often watched by patients at home. A lack of professional support in interpreting them can cause unnecessary distress.

What is known already

Time-lapse imaging technology (TLIT) allows to take recurrent pictures of embryos during their first days of development and produce short videos of embryo’s growth in the lab. Many TLIT studies have focused on the potential benefits associated with non-invasive embryo selection, but very few have explored how these videos are shared with patients and how patients react to them. A few recent survey-based studies suggest that watching videos of their own embryos may have positive effects on patients’ IVF experience (Picou et al., 2021) and even increase pregnancy rates (Garcia-Faura et al., 2021).

Study design, size, duration

We interviewed 34 women who had experience of IVF treatment and 8 partners. Participants were aged between 29 and 47, and they were recruited from across England. 22 participants were recruited by NHS fertility clinics and 20 were recruited through advertisement on relevant social media groups and communities. All interviews were conducted between 2018 and 2019. The interviews are part of a larger study exploring the perspectives of both fertility patients and professionals.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken in different locations. On average, interviews undertaken at NHS clinics lasted 40 minutes, whereas interviews over the phone or at the participant’s home were often longer at around an hour. All interviews were recorded, professionally transcribed, and anonymised. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to explore how and when participants received TLIT videos and how they managed personal attachments to them.

Main results and the role of chance

Participants described different experiences in how and when they saw TLIT videos of their embryos. Participants reported a variety of practices around sharing videos, including receiving the video via their online patient portal or an email link, purchasing or being given the video on a USB at the clinic, or having the USB posted to them at home. Due to these sharing methods, TLIT videos were often received by patients once they had left the clinic, and seen after the transfer and outside of consultations, often at home.

Analysis of the interviews shows that, for IVF patients undergoing fertility treatment, receiving videos of their own embryos can cause confusion and potential distress. Participants often described shifting emotions about the embryo videos, especially when they felt unprepared for receiving them. Participants discussed the difficulty they experienced in interpreting or contextualising this imagery outside of the clinic and expressed their concerns about how to interpret embryo development. Associations made between embryo videos and a potential future baby made the videos emotionally difficult to manage, especially when patients received them prior to being able to test for pregnancy.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The study sample size is small and the findings cannot be generalised to the broader patient population.

It is important to emphasise that not all fertility clinics in the UK have adopted TLIT. Furthermore, many clinics adopting TLIT have chosen not to share the videos with their patients.

Wider implications of the findings

To support patients in how to interpret TLIT videos and avoid unnecessary distress, when sharing TLIT videos with patients clinics may pay attention to the following: how (through what medium); where (ideally providing professional support to interpret videos shared outside consultations); and when during the treatment process.

Trial registration number

not applicable