Journal of International Reproductive Health/Family Planning ›› 2012, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (1): 38-41.

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Value of Elective Single Blastocyst Transfer in Reducing Multiple Pregnancy Rates in IVF/ICSI Patients

ZHANG Bo, FENG Gui-xue, ZHOU Hong, WU Fang-rong   

  1. Reproductive Medicine Center, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning 530003, China
  • Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Published:2012-01-15 Online:2012-01-15
  • Contact: ZHANG Bo

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the effects of elective blastocyst culture and single blastocyst transfer(eBC-SBT) on the clinical pregnancy rate(CPR), multiple pregnancy rate(MPR) and monozygotic twinning rate(MZTR). Methods: According to whether the eBC-SBT was applied, patients from January 2007 to November 2009 were divided into two groups: no-intervention group and intervention group. For the no- intervention group, Day-3 cleavage embryos were transferred before the intervention of the eBC-SBT program. For the intervention group, patients with good prognosis and high risk of multiple pregnancy were advised and received eBC-SBT on their own. On the morning of Day-5 or Day-6, blastocysts were assigned a score according to their degree of expansion and hatching status, inner cell mass, and trophoectoderm. One blastocysts would be transferred if at least one blastocysts were graded BB or better,while two blastocysts would be transferred if blastocysts were just graded BC. Those refused to perform eBC-SBT and not met the criteria were transferred Day-3 cleavage embryos. The CPR, MPR and MZTR of the no-intervention group versus the intervention group and Day-3 embryo transfer versus blastocyst transfer in the intervention group were compared. Results:①The age of patients,number of oocytes and fertilization rate were similar between the intervention group with eBC-SBT and the no-intervention group(P>0.05). Compared with the no-intervention group, the intervention group had fewer number of transferred embryos(1.60±0.56 vs. 2.17±0.51,P<0.01), higher implantation rate(33.75% vs. 25.69%) and clinical pregnancy rate(47.31% vs. 40.84%) (P<0.05), and much lower MPR(15.38% vs. 29.37%, P<0.01). ②In the intervention group, fewer embryos were transferred at the blastocyst stage when compared with Day-3 embryo transfer(1.09±0.28 vs. 1.96±0.40, P<0.01), implantation rate was higher(43.99% vs. 30.18%, P<0.01) and clinical pregnancy rate was similar (47.35% vs. 47.29%, P>0.05), while the MPR of the blastocyst transfer was significantly less than that with the Day-3 embryo transfer. ③MZTRs in the no-intervention group and the intervention group did not have significant difference (1.32% vs. 1.67%, P>0.05), and the Day-3 embryo transfer versus blastocyst transfer in the intervention group did not have significant difference, too(2.59% vs. 1.09%, P>0.05). Conclusions: eBC-SBT used among good prognosis and high risk of multiple pregnancy patients can significantly reduce multiple pregnancies without compromising pregnancy rates, and not increased risk of MZT.

Key words: Blastula, Embryo transfer, Twins, monozygotic, Fertilization in vitro, Reproductive techniques, assisted