Single center validation of routine blastocyst biopsy implementation

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Genetics
• Embryology

Background:

• Current in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocols are continuously evolving to improve live birth rates.
• Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) and vitrification (VTF) are advanced technologies aimed at optimizing IVF outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the live birth rates of trophectoderm biopsy preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) with vitrification (VTF) in all cycles against historical treatment protocols.
• To determine if these technologies enhance live birth rates on a per cycle and per first transfer basis.

Main Methods:

• An observational, retrospective cohort study compared outcomes of first embryo transfers.
• Group 1 included PGS/VTF-all cycles; Group 2 included non-PGS fresh or VTF-ALL cycles.
• Data were stratified by age, excluding donor cycles, and validated on a per cycle basis using Chi-squared analysis.

Main Results:

• Cycles utilizing PGS/VTF showed a 97% increase in live births compared to non-PGS cycles.
• Patients under 43 years old in the PGS group demonstrated higher implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rates.
• Analysis including all initiated cycles confirmed higher live birth rates for PGS in specific age groups (≤34 and 38-40 years).

Conclusions:

• Validating PGS on a per cycle basis provides a more accurate assessment of its efficacy by accounting for all cycles and embryo availability.
• PGS optimizes blastocyst utilization, leading to more efficient IVF success.
• Women over 40 may particularly benefit from understanding the reasons for potential IVF failures, possibly related to aneuploidy detected by PGS.