Association between oocyte donors' or recipients' body mass index and clinical outcomes after first single blastocyst transfers-the uterus is the most affected

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether high body mass index (BMI) in either oocyte donors or recipients is associated with poorer outcomes after the first single blastocyst transfer.

Design: Retrospective study including 1,394 first blastocyst single embryo transfers (SETs) conducted by 1,394 recipients during oocyte donation cycles with the gametes retrieved from 1,394 women (January 2019-July 2021). Four BMI clusters were defined for both donors and recipients (underweight: <18.5 kg; normal weight: 18.5-24.9 kg; overweight: 25-29.9 kg; and obese: ≥30 kg).

Setting: Network of private IVF centers.

Patients: A total of 1,394 recipients aged 42.4 ± 4.0 and with a BMI of 23.2 ± 3.8 kg/m², and 1,394 donors aged 26.1 ± 4.2 and with a BMI of 21.9 ± 2.5 kg/m².

Intervention: All oocytes were vitrified at 2 egg banks and warmed at 8 in vitro fertilization clinics that were part of the same network. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, blastocyst culture, and either fresh or vitrified-warmed SETs were conducted. Putative confounders were investigated, and the data were adjusted through regression analyses.

Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was the live birth rate (LBR) per SET according to donors' and/or recipients' BMI. The main secondary outcome was the miscarriage rate (<22 gestational weeks) per clinical pregnancy.

Results: The LBR per blastocyst SET showed no significant association with donors' BMI. Regarding recipients' BMI, instead, the multivariate odds ratio was significant in obese vs. normal-weight recipients (0.58, 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.91). The miscarriage rate per clinical pregnancy was also significantly associated with recipients' obesity, with a multivariate odds ratio of 2.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-4.51) vs. normal-weight patients. A generalized additive model method was used to represent the relationship between predicted LBR or miscarriage rates and donors' or recipients' BMI; it pictured a scenario where the former outcome moderately but continuously decreases with increasing recipients' BMI to then sharply decline in the BMI range of 25-35 kg/m². The miscarriage rate, instead, increases almost linearly with respect to both donors' and recipients' increasing BMI.

Conclusion: Obesity mostly affects the uterus, especially because of higher miscarriage rates. Yet, poorer outcomes can be appreciated already with a BMI of 25 kg/m² in both oocyte donors and recipients. Finer markers of nutritional homeostasis are therefore desirable; recipients should be counseled about poorer expected outcomes in cases of overweight and obesity; and oocyte banks should avoid assigning oocytes from overweight donors to overweight and obese recipients.

Keywords: BMI; miscarriage; obesity; oocyte donation; overweight.