Abstract
Purpose
Mosaicism is a prevalent characteristic of human preimplantation embryos. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate pregnancy outcomes after transfer of mosaic or euploid embryos.
Methods
The embryos, which had been transferred as “euploidy,” were processed using array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). The original aCGH charts of the transferred embryos were reanalyzed. Mosaic and control euploid embryos were defined according to log2 ratio calls.
Results
Overall, 102 embryos were determined to be mosaic, of which 101 were estimated to harbor no more than 50% aneuploid mosaicism. Additionally, 268 euploid embryos were matched as controls. The rates of live birth (46.6% vs. 59.1%, odds ratio (OR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38–0.95), and biochemical pregnancy (65.7% vs. 76.1%, OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.37–0.99) per transfer cycle were significantly lower after mosaic embryo transfer than after euploid embryo transfer. The rates of clinical pregnancy and pregnancy loss and the risks of obstetric outcomes did not differ significantly between the two groups.
Conclusions
Compared with euploid embryo transfer, mosaic embryo transfer is associated with a lower rate of live birth, which is mainly attributed to a decreased rate of conception. However, as mosaic embryo transfer yielded a live birth rate of 46.6%, patients without euploid embryos could be counseled regarding this alternative option.
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Acknowledgements
The authors expressed thanks to Wenjie Jiang, Hongqiang Xie, Hongchang Li, and Ping Li from Reproductive Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University for performing PGT procedures and following up.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number 2016YFC1000202), National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81671522), and Innovative Foundation of Reproductive Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University (grant number 20171114).
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Zhang, L., Wei, D., Zhu, Y. et al. Rates of live birth after mosaic embryo transfer compared with euploid embryo transfer. J Assist Reprod Genet 36, 165–172 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1322-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1322-2