Preimplantation genetic screening in women of advanced maternal age caused a decrease in clinical pregnancy rate: a...

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
• Genetics

Background:

• Advanced maternal age (AMA) is linked to lower IVF success rates, primarily due to increased embryo aneuploidy.
• Transferring euploid embryos is hypothesized to improve pregnancy rates in AMA patients.
• Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) aims to identify euploid embryos for transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) increases the clinical pregnancy rate in women of advanced maternal age undergoing IVF.

Main Methods:

• A two-center, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted.
• Patients aged >=38 years were randomized into either a PGS group or a control group.
• Clinical pregnancy rate per randomized patient was the primary outcome measure, assessed 6-7 weeks post-gestation.

Main Results:

• The study was terminated early due to insufficient statistical power.
• The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly lower in the PGS group (8.9%) compared to the control group (24.5%).
• This indicates a potential negative impact of PGS in this demographic.

Conclusions:

• This RCT provides evidence against the routine use of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) for women of advanced maternal age undergoing IVF.
• The findings suggest that PGS may not be a beneficial strategy for improving IVF outcomes in this patient population.