According to the CNPMA register of cryopreserved embryos, most of the embryos (9,392) were the result of a process known as Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection by married couples, and 6,844 were as a result of In Vitro Fertilisation by married couples.
In 2015, 44 embryos were donated to other couples and 331 were thawed and eliminated. As in previous years no embryos were donated for research purposes.
The current law states that embryos that are not transferred should be cryopreserves and the couple in question commits to using them in a new embryo transfer within a maximum of three years.
The latest figures, from 2013, show that 2,091 children were born as a result of fertility treatments in Portugal.