Postthaw blastomere survival is predictive of the success of frozen–Thawed embryo transfer cycles

Objective

To investigate the predictors of postthaw blastomere survival and the relationship of blastomere survival to the outcome of frozen–thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

An IVF unit in a tertiary care facility.

Patient(s)

Infertile women undergoing FET cycles with embryos cryopreserved on day 3 postinsemination.

Intervention(s)

FET cycles.

Main outcome measure(s)

Embryo survival postthaw, pregnancy (PR), clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates.

Result(s)

A significant impact of postthaw blastomere survival on the outcome of FET cycles was noted. The thawed embryos in the low survival tertile resulted in significantly impaired implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and PR compared to embryos in the high survival tertile. An inverse association was noted between serum P levels on the day of hCG administration and postthaw blastomere survival.

Conclusion(s)

We have demonstrated that postthaw blastomere survival is predictive of success of FET cycles. The relationship of poor postthaw embryo survival in the setting of elevated P is novel and not hitherto described.

Key words:  Embryo , cryopreservation , blastomere , survival , FET , IVF