In International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics
OBJECTIVE : To analyze whether cleavage stage at compaction, and not only kinetics, can serve as a reliable predictor for clinical outcome.
METHODS : A retrospective cohort study including 1194 embryos, classified by compaction initiation stage (Group 1: compaction at <8 cells, Group 2: at 8 cells, Group 3: >8 cells). Of this, 815 embryos were evaluated for morphokinetic preimplantation parameters, and 379 embryos were analyzed for clinical implantation following single blastocysts thawing and transferring during the same period RESULTS: In total, 1194 embryos were analyzed. Embryos that underwent compaction from >8 cells (Group 3) exhibited more synchronous cleavage compared to Groups 1&2 (at both S2&S3; p<0.0001), and displayed a significantly lower fragmentation rate. The likelihood of obtaining top-quality blastocysts decreased by 73% and 44% when comparing Group 3 embryos with those of Group 1 and 2 respectively (p<0.03). Clinical validation of the results shows that while compaction from <8 cells barely produced blastocysts for transfer, compaction at ≥8 cell is crucial for implantation and birth (birth rate 11.1% & 18.5% for groups 2 & 3 respectively).
CONCLUSION : Cleavage stage at compaction has a direct effect on blastocyst quality and subsequent pregnancy, hence can be included in newly developed deep learning models for embryo selection.
Matot R, Kalma Y, Rahav R, Azem F, Amir H, Ben-Yosef D
2022-Dec-10
Compaction, Embryo development, Embryo quality, IVF outcomes, Morphokinetics
