Encouraging New Egg Freezing Results

Three out of four study participants achieve pregnancy with donated frozen eggs; results provide additional support for egg freezing as an option for fertile women

BOSTON and NEW YORK, November 15, 2005 – Extend Fertility™ and Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of NY) today announced initial results in the ongoing Extend Fertility-sponsored multi-site study designed to further the science and efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation or “egg freezing.” The study is designed to validate the published results and work dealing with the Extend Fertility method of oocyte cryopreservation – particularly related to a fertile women population. In addition to sponsoring the study, Extend Fertility is also supplying the clinics with exclusive access to training, protocols and the egg freezing culture media.

As part of the overall study, RMA of NY and Extend Fertility are announcing initial results in this unique collaboration. 

The RMA team has achieved three out of four pregnancies (75 percent pregnancy success rate) using frozen eggs from fertile egg donors. 

This represents a 26 percent implantation success rate, i.e. approximately one out of every four embryos implanted. 

A total of 79 eggs from four donors were frozen. 68 eggs survived the freezing and thawing process (86.1 percent survival) and 61 of the remaining eggs successfully fertilized (89.7 percent fertilization).

“While egg freezing is still considered investigational, these pregnancies and success rates bring us one step closer to changing the perception of egg freezing from that of an “on the edge” technology to a practical and mainstream procedure for women that want to preserve their ability to have a future family,” said Dr. Alan Copperman, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “To date, these are some of the most encouraging success rates on record and we are confident that this kind of success can be replicated at other Extend sites. It is also important to note that these results show that this treatment can be particularly successful for fertile women.”

The study participants achieved pregnancy following the retrieval of donor eggs from a fertile woman, and the eggs’ cryopreservation, thawing and fertilization. Prior to beginning work with the human oocytes (human eggs), the RMA of NY team conducted extensive studies on mouse oocytes to perfect their technique. 

“We are now confident in our ability to work with the medium and cryopreservation procedure to achieve continued success. We are ready to begin offering this investigational service to a wider range of women, including those looking to preserve their fertility for the future,” continued Dr Copperman. 

“This is truly a groundbreaking development for reproductive technology. In the past, women who wanted to get pregnant later in life were faced with egg quality issues. Now they have the option of extending their fertility by preserving their eggs when they are of the best quality,” said Christy Jones, founder and CEO, Extend Fertility. “At Extend Fertility, we are committed to the development of egg freezing and are confident that we will continue to generate strong pregnancy success rates at RMA of NY and other Extend Fertility partner centers across the country.”

The ongoing study will be conducted at up to eight Extend Fertility-affiliated centers throughout the U.S., under standard Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight. In all, about 40 participants are expected to participate. Extend Fertility is uniquely positioned to sponsor a study of this kind given the company’s focus on developing relationships with some of the leading fertility centers and specialists in the country. This network of thought-leaders and experts allows Extend Fertility to ensure a consistent quality of service while driving research and development around oocyte cryopreservation. Complete results and findings will be published following the completion of the multi-site study in 2006. 
MediCult and Biogenics are also supporting the study by donating product and cryopreservation equipment directly to participating centers.

ABOUT EXTEND FERTILITY 
Extend Fertility is dedicated to enriching women's lives through revolutionary science and service that can effectively slow down a woman's biological clock. By capturing a woman's healthy "young" eggs and cryopreserving them for use in the future, Extend can give each client the best chance scientifically possible at achieving her dream of biological motherhood later in life. Extend Fertility's services are delivered through their network of leading fertility centers across the country. Centers are nominated, approved and trained by Extend's Scientific and Medical Advisory Boards, which are comprised of experts in the field of egg freezing. For more information, visit www.extendfertility.com. 

ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE ASSOCIATES OF NEW YORK
Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York ("RMA of NY") is a leading Manhattan-based fertility center. Led by Alan B. Copperman, MD, Lawrence Grunfeld, MD, Tanmoy Mukherjee, MD, Benjamin Sandler, MD, Natan Bar Chama, MD and Jeffrey Klein, MD, RMA of NY has among the highest success rates for in vitro fertilization in the United States. RMA of NY has offices in midtown Manhattan at 635 Madison Avenue and in White Plains, NY at 15 North Broadway. For more information, visit www.rmany.com

References:

For more information, contact:

Tiffany O’Brien Nels / Extend Fertility

512-495-7164, nelst@fleishman.com

Kira Copperman/ RMA of NY

212-756-5777, kcopperman@rmany.com