Objective: To assess the relationship of age and basal FSH level to the genetic quality of the embryo and the association with IVF treatment outcome.
Design: Prospective observation study.
Setting: A major inner London fertility clinic in the United Kingdom.
Patient(s): One hundred fifty-one women who underwent IVF treatment cycles in conjunction with preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy screening before fresh embryo transfer, between July 2003 and July 2005.
Intervention(s): Basal FSH levels (days 2-4) were determined at an earlier cycle, and women were divided into two groups: high basal FSH (>or=10 IU/L) and low basal FSH (<10 IU/L). Chromosome analysis was performed on a single blastomere by using fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Main outcome measure(s): Percentage of aneuploid embryos.
Result(s): The percentage of aneuploid embryos was not statistically significantly different between the high- (50.0%, n = 32) and low- (50.2%, n = 119) basal FSH groups. However, the percentage of aneuploid embryos was statistically significantly higher (56.2%, n = 109) for women aged >or=38 years, as compared with women <38 years of age (37.5%, n = 42), independent of basal FSH levels.
Conclusion(s): Elevated basal FSH levels reflect lower ovarian reserve but have no association with genetic quality of embryos. The percentage of aneuploid embryos is increased with advanced maternal age.