Impact of double trophectoderm biopsy on reproductive outcomes following single euploid blastocyst transfer

Efstathios Theodorou; Elpiniki Chronopoulou; Ozkan Ozturk; Xavier Brunetti; Paul Serhal; Jara Ben-Nagi

doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.04.033

Impact of double trophectoderm biopsy on reproductive outcomes following single euploid blastocyst transfer

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2024 May 6:298:35-40. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.04.033. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Efstathios Theodorou¹, Elpiniki Chronopoulou², Ozkan Ozturk¹, Xavier Brunetti¹, Paul Serhal¹, Jara Ben-Nagi¹

Affiliations

¹ The Centre for Reproductive & Genetic Health (CRGH), Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QS, UK.
² The Centre for Reproductive & Genetic Health (CRGH), Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QS, UK. Electronic address: elpiniki_47@hotmail.com.

PMID: 38718702
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.04.033

Abstract

Objectives: To study the effect of double trophectoderm biopsy on clinical outcomes following single euploid blastocyst transfer.

Study design: Retrospective cohort study of 2046 single euploid frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers from January 2015 to June 2022 in a single centre. All patients undergoing a frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FTET) cycle with euploid blastocysts, biopsied for any indication, were included. The outcomes were compared for blastocysts which were biopsied and vitrified once (Group 1, n = 1684), biopsied once but vitrified twice (Group 2, n = 312) and biopsied and vitrified twice (Group 3n = 50). We adjusted for confounders and performed subgroup analysis for PGT-A, PGT-M and PGT-SR cycles. The primary outcome was live birth rate. Secondary outcomes included pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, birthweight and sex ratio.

Results: After adjusting for confounders (previous failed euploid implantations, embryo quality and day of biopsy), embryos which were biopsied twice had lower OR for clinical pregnancy (0.48, CI 0.26-0.88, p = 0.019) and for live birth (0.50 CI 0.27-0.92, p = 0.025) compared to controls. Embryos which were biopsied once but vitrified twice had no different ORs for all reproductive outcomes compared to controls. No significant difference was observed for neonatal birthweight or sex ratio amongst the three groups. This is a retrospective single centre study with inherent bias and results may not be transferable to all settings.

Conclusion: This study is the largest to date assessing the outcomes of FTET cycles following double trophectoderm biopsy. The results are in keeping with the existing literature and can be incorporated into patient counselling. Whilst double biopsy seems to adversely impact LBR, it is only one of the many factors that can affect success rates. The subfertility background and embryo characteristics should not be overlooked. This study provides reassuring evidence since double biopsied embryos still result in live births with no difference in sex ratio or birthweight. However, long term follow up of the off-springs is lacking and should be reported in future studies.

Keywords: Birthweight; Embryo transfer; PGT-A; PGT-M/SR; Trophectoderm biopsy.