If you’re considering IVF as part of your journey toward having a child, it’s important to know the best times for a successful outcome from this procedure. While there aren’t any guarantees, a recent study has shown that retrieving eggs during summer months creates a higher chance of a better outcome. 

That’s because eggs retrieved on sunny days have a 30% higher chance of resulting in a live birth, no matter what season the egg is used. In other words, you could have eggs retrieved in summer, but not use the embryo until autumn or winter, and still have higher chances of a successful outcome, according to this study.

The temperature on the day of the egg retrieval didn’t seem to matter, but the temperature on the day the embryo was transferred to the womb did appear to have an impact. Transferring embryos on hot days led to an 18% decrease in the rates of successful live births. While researchers were interested in the findings, they don’t know for sure why the season or temperature matters.

One of their theories is the amount of melatonin that’s created during winter, since melatonin can have antioxidant properties. Since eggs harvested in summer would have likely started developing in the winter months, they could be getting the benefit of that extra melatonin. Additionally, lifestyle changes that are seen between summer and winter could also play a role. People are more active in the summer, and that could affect success rates and egg health, as well.

More studies will need to be done to collect additional information. While this study’s conclusions are important, it’s only one study and needs to be backed up with further investigation. If the conclusions of the study are accurate, this could lead to changes and adjustments in how IVF is used. Eggs may be harvested in the summer for embryo implantation in the fall or winter, which could give more chances of success. This might reduce the number of IVF rounds needed for a successful pregnancy, and could improve the costs and other factors surrounding this procedure.

If you’d like to learn more about the legal aspects of starting or growing your family through assisted reproduction, contact us today! The contracts that we prepare for our clients are comprehensive and thorough. Some of the services we provide include counseling intended parents and surrogates on the state of the law with respect to the different reproduction methods available; drafting of the contract(s) between intended parents and their surrogate, egg donor, sperm donor or embryo donor; assisting future parents in finalizing their parental rights; and assisting our surrogate, egg donor, sperm donor, embryo donor, or embryo donor clients in establishing the intended parents’ rights.