Assisted hatching is more effective when embryo quality was optimal in previous failed IVF/ICSI cycles

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Embryology
• Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)

Background:

• Repeated implantation failure (RIF) is a significant challenge in assisted reproductive technology (ART).
• Assisted hatching (AH) was introduced to potentially improve implantation rates in patients with RIF.
• The impact of previous embryo quality on the success of subsequent AH cycles is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the morphology of embryos transferred in a previous cycle and the outcomes of a subsequent assisted hatching cycle.
• To determine if embryo quality influences the effectiveness of assisted hatching in patients with a history of failed ART cycles.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 175 assisted hatching (AH) cycles following previous failed ART cycles without hatching.
• Patients were divided into two groups based on embryo morphology in the prior cycle: Group A (optimal embryos) and Group B (suboptimal embryos).
• Demographic and cycle characteristics were compared between groups to ensure similarity.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in implantation rates (28.8% vs 5.1%), clinical pregnancy rates (41.9% vs 12.1%), and live birth rates (38.5% vs 8.6%) were observed in Group A compared to Group B (p<0.001).
• These positive outcomes in Group A were seen despite AH being performed after previous implantation failures.

Conclusions:

• Assisted hatching (AH) shows a better prognosis for patients experiencing implantation failure after transferring optimal embryos compared to those with suboptimal embryos.
• Embryo quality is identified as the most significant factor influencing the success of assisted hatching in subsequent cycles.
• These findings underscore the importance of embryo assessment in predicting AH treatment efficacy for RIF.