P–313 Endometrial receptivity analysis for personalized embryo transfer in patients with recurrent implantation failure: a retrospective analysis of a Chinese cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Jia ◽  
Y L Sha ◽  
Z Qiu ◽  
Y H Guo ◽  
A X Tan ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question To quantify the effectiveness of endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA)-guided personalized embryo transfer (pET) in Chinese women. Summary answer ERA-guided pET may remarkably improve pregnancy and implantation rates among Chinese women with Recurrent implantation failure (RIF). What is known already RIF is a major cause of infertility, and endometrial receptivity is widely accepted to impact implantation failure. Precision prediction of the WOI, the time when the endometrium is most receptive to the implantation of the embryo, is, therefore, of great significance to improve implantation prospects. Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of ERA for the prediction of the WOI, and how pET, timed by ERA, improves implantation and pregnancy rates; however, the efficacy of ERA-guided pET remains unknown for Chinese women. Study design, size, duration Patients in Chengdu Xi’nan Gynecology Hospital (Chengdu, China) who were undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET) at the blastocyst stage on day five or day six during the period from November 2019 through September 2020 were recruited for this study. A total of 145 eligible patients were included in the study and assigned to the ERA group (n = 67) or the control group (n = 78). Clinical pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. Participants/materials, setting, methods Endometrial specimens were collected the from ERA group. Total RNA was extracted from endometrial specimens, the transcriptomic sequencing data were processed using RNA-Seq and the endometrial receptivity status was assessed by the ERA predictor. The endometrium was classified as receptive or non-receptive according to the ERA assessment, and pET was done at the time determined by ERA in the ERA group. Subjects in the control group did not receive ERA and underwent blastocyst transfer normally. Main results and the role of chance The demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between the ERA and control groups (P > 0.05). The ERA test identified 10.45% of samples as receptive and 89.55% of samples as non-receptive in the ERA group, with 70.15% of samples presenting a pre-receptive profile. We observed higher cumulative pregnancy (74.63% vs. 64.10%) and cumulative implantation rate (47.32% vs. 21.68%) rates, and a lower biochemical pregnancy rate (18.00% vs. 34.00%) in the ERA group when compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, we found higher pregnancy (67.16% vs. 39.74%) and implantation (46.54% vs. 16.94%) rates as well as a lower biochemical pregnancy rate (17.78% vs. 45.16%) after the first ERA test in the ERA group when compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Limitations, reasons for caution First, this is a retrospective analysis, which is relatively more biased than prospective clinical trials. Second, the study sample is considerably small. Third, only 10.45% of the subjects were identified as presenting a receptive profile, which limits the comparisons of clinical outcomes between patients with receptive and non-receptive endometria. Wider implications of the findings: This study demonstrates that the ERA test helps to determine the optimal timing for embryo transfer, improve pregnancy and implantation rates in patients with RIF, and guides the clinical application of the ERA test. Trial registration number approval No. 2020–018

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Yuta Kasahara ◽  
Tomoko Hashimoto ◽  
Ryo Yokomizo ◽  
Yuya Takeshige ◽  
Koki Yoshinaga ◽  
...  

Background:The clinical value of personalized embryo transfer (pET) guided by the endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) tests for recurrent implantation failure (RIF) cases is still unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify the efficacy of ERA leading to personalization of the day of embryo transfer (ET) in RIF patients. Methods: A retrospective study was performed for 94 patients with RIF who underwent ERA between July 2015 and December 2019. Pregnancy outcomes in a previous vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (previous VBT) and a personalized vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (pVBT) in identical patients were compared. The details of each pVBT were further analyzed between patients in a non-displaced group, which indicated “receptive” cases in ERA results and those who were in the displaced group, which indicated “non-receptive” cases. Results:When the pregnancy rate, both per patient and per transfer cycle, of previous VBT and pVBT were compared, a significant increase in pVBT was observed between the two methods (5.3% vs. 62.8%, 4.4% vs. 47.9%, respectively). The pregnancy rates, implantation rates, and clinical pregnancy rates of the first pVBT were significantly higher in the displaced group than the non-displaced group. The cumulative ongoing pregnancy rate of the displaced group tended to be higher compared to that of the non-displaced group in the first pVBT, although the difference was not statistically significant (51.0% vs. 31.1%, [Formula: see text] = 0.06). Conclusions:Our study demonstrates that pVBT guided by ERA tests may improve pregnancy outcomes in RIF patients whose window of implantation (WOI) is displaced, and its effect may be more pronounced at the first pVBT. The displacement of WOI may be considered to be one of the causes of RIF, and its adjustment may contribute to the improvement of pregnancy outcomes in RIF patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Menglin Li ◽  
Yunyun Liu ◽  
Haoran Wang ◽  
Shuzhen Zheng ◽  
Yinhe Deng ◽  
...  

Objective. To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and hopefully provide reliable guidance for clinicians and patients. Methods. Through searching domestic and foreign medical journals, the literature of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for RIF undergoing IVF-ET was collected. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis and Cochrane’s risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Results. Seven documents meeting the criteria were finally included. The results showed that the intervention group contributes more in outcomes including clinical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.90, 95% CI (1.51, 2.40), P < 0.05 ), biochemical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.59, 95% CI (1.27, 1.99), P < 0.05 ), embryo implantation rate (RR = 1.89, 95% CI (1.47, 2.45), P < 0.05 ), and endometrial thickness (MD = 1.11, 95% CI (0.59, 1.63), P < 0.05 ) when compared with the control group, and the difference is statistically significant. In terms of the number of embryo transfers and the type of endometrium, the difference between the acupuncture group and the control group was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Acupuncture therapy on patients with RIF can improve the pregnancy outcome of patients. It is a relatively effective treatment with satisfactory safety and suitable for clinical application. However, as the quality of the included studies is not good enough, the conclusion of this meta-analysis should be treated with caution. More double-blind RCTs equipped with high quality and large samples are expected for the improvement of the level of evidence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85
Author(s):  
Ioan BOLEAC ◽  
◽  
Manuela NEAGU ◽  
Anca CORICOVAC ◽  
Dorina CODREANU ◽  
...  

Recurrent implantation failure is represented by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after transfer of at least 4 good-quality embryos in a minimum of 3 fresh or frozen cycles in a woman under the age of 40 years. One of the recent approaches in studying the window of implantation was building the expression profile of the genes of the endometrial cells. We performed a retrospective study which investigated if endometrial receptivity tests improved the outcomes of IVF procedures in patients with recurrent implantation failure. We enrolled 47 couples with RIF and divided them in 2 groups: the first group of 22 couples performed the ERA test and the embryo transfer according to the result of the test; the second group of 27 couples had the embryo transfer done without the ERA test. Our conclusion was that the ERA test did not improve the outcomes for patients with recurrent implantation failure.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aihua He ◽  
Yangyun Zou ◽  
Cheng Wan ◽  
Jing Zhao ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Window of implantation (WOI) displacement was known as one of endometrial origin leading to embryo implantation failure, especially for repeated implantation failure (RIF). A accurately prediction tool of endometrial receptivity (ER) is extraordinary needed to precisely guide the successful embryo implantation. We aimed to establish an RNA-seq based endometrial receptivity test tool (rsERT) using transcriptomic biomarkers, and to evaluate the benefit of personalized embryo transfer (pET) guided by this tool in patients with repeated implantation failure (RIF).Methods: Two-phase strategy including tool establishment with retrospective data and benefit evaluation with prospective, nonrandomized controlled trial. In the first phase, the rsERT was established by sequencing and analyzing the RNA of endometrial tissues from 50 infertile patients with normal window of implantation (WOI) timing. In the second phase, 142 patients with RIF were recruited and grouped by patient self-selection (experimental group, n=56; control group, n=86). pET guided by rsERT in the experimental group, and conventional ET in the control group. Results: The rsERT, comprising 175 biomarker genes, showed an average accuracy of 98.4% by using 10-fold cross-validation. IPR of experimental group (50.0%) was significantly improved compared to that (23.7%) of control group (RR, 2.107; 95% CI, 1.159 to 3.830; P = 0.017) when transferring day 3 embryos. Although not statistically different, IPR of experimental group (63.6%) was still 20 percentage points higher than that (40.7%) of control group (RR, 1.562; 95% CI, 0.898 to 2.718; P = 0.111) when transferring blastocyst. Regression analysis can precisely predict the optimal WOI time by using all samples as training dataset (R2= 0.92).Conclusions: The rsERT was developed to accurately predict WOI period and significantly improve pregnancy outcomes of patients with RIF, indicating the clinical potential of rsERT-guided pET. Optimization of the model made it possible to predict the optimal WOI by one-point sampling.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-DDD-17013375. Registered 14 November 2017, http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi Han ◽  
Yi Cao ◽  
Wenjie Zhou ◽  
Mingjuan Zhou ◽  
Xiaowei Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Impaired endometrial receptivity is the main cause of recurrent implantation failure (RIF), however, its underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we found that HMGB1 expression was significantly decreased in the implantation phase endometrium in the control group (patients with tubal infertility who successfully achieved conception after the first embryo transfer) (P = 0.006). However, the expression levels of HMGB1 mRNA and protein were significantly upregulated during the implantation phase in endometrial tissues obtained from patients with RIF compared to those in the control group (P = 0.001), consistent with the results of genome-wide expression profiling. Moreover, in vitro assays showed that increased expression of HMGB1 in human endometrial epithelial cells cause marked deficiency in supporting blastocysts and human embryonic JAR cell adhesion, mimicking the process of embryo adhesion. However, overexpression of HMGB1 had no effect on cell proliferation and in-vitro decidualization in a human endometrial stromal cell line (T-HESCs) and in primary human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). These findings indicate that increased HMGB1 levels suppressed the adhesion capability of epithelial cells, contributing to impaired endometrial receptivity in patients with recurrent implantation failure. This characteristic can be used as a target for detecting and treating recurrent implantation failure in clinical practice.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Fu ◽  
Xiaowei Zhang ◽  
Yiheng Liang ◽  
Shouren Lin ◽  
Weiping Qian ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) refers to repeated failure to become pregnant after transferring embryos with normal morphology. However, the pathogenesis of RIF remains unrevealed, especially for those without any pathological features. In this study, we characterized the vaginal microbiota and metabolomes of patients with unexplained RIF, while patients who achieved clinical pregnancy in the first frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle were used as controls. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the vaginal microbiota, the vaginal Lactobacillus showed a significant positive correlation with the pregnancy rate, and the RIF group presented higher microbial α-diversity than the control group (P value = 0.016). The metabolomic profile identified 2,507 metabolites, of which 37 were significantly different between the two groups (P value < 0.05, variable importance for the projection [VIP] > 1). Among them, 2′,3-cyclic UMP and inositol phosphate were the top two metabolites that were higher in the RIF group, while glycerophospholipids and benzopyran were important metabolites that were lower in the RIF group. A lack of lysobisphosphatidic acid and prostaglandin metabolized from glycerophospholipids will lead to deferred implantation and embryo crowding. Benzopyran, as a selective estrogen receptor modulator, may affect the outcome of pregnancy. All of the changes in metabolite profiles may result in or from the differential microbiota compositions in RIF patients. In conclusion, significant differences were presented in the vaginal microbiota and metabolomes between patients with unexplained RIF and women who became pregnant in the first FET cycle. For the first time, this study elaborates the possible pathogenesis of RIF by investigating the vaginal microbiota and metabolites in RIF patients. IMPORTANCE In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is now widely applied for treating infertility, and unexplained recurrent implantation failure (RIF) has become a substantial challenge. We hypothesize that vaginal microbial dysbiosis is associated with RIF, as it is linked to many female reproductive diseases. In this study, we characterized the vaginal microbiota and metabolomes of patients with unexplained RIF, while patients who achieved clinical pregnancy in the first IVF cycle were set as controls. In general, significant differences were discovered in the vaginal microbiota and metabolomes between the two groups. This study is the first detailed elaboration of the vaginal microbiota and metabolites associated with RIF. We believe that our findings will inspire researchers to consider the dynamics of microbiomes related to the microenvironment as a critical feature for future studies of nosogenesis not only for RIF but also for other reproductive diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Ahuja ◽  
A Taranissi ◽  
M Taranissi

Abstract Study question Do the serum progesterone levels on the day of the endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) biopsy correlate with the results of the ERA? Summary answer Serum progesterone levels on the day of the endometrial receptivity analysis biopsy do not correlate with the biopsy results. What is known already Endometrial receptivity is a time sensitive window characterised by maturation of the endometrium, during which the trophectodermal cells attach to the endometrial cells and invade the endometrial stromal vasculature. Progesterone is an essential element for receptivity and pregnancy. There is no consensus regarding the optimal progesterone levels in the luteal phase, for a successful pregnancy. Endometrial receptivity analysis is a diagnostic tool developed by profiling the transcriptome of over 238 genes that are expressed at different stages of the endometrial cycle. The results are reported as receptive, pre-receptive, early receptive, etc and are used to direct a personalised embryo transfer. Study design, size, duration We report a prospective study of 30 patients with a history of recurrent implantation failure (RIF). They underwent ERA testing in a medicated cycle, between early 2018 and late 2020. Participants/materials, setting, methods A large proportion of the patients we treat in our clinic (ARGC) have recurrent implantation failure. Thirty patients with RIF underwent ERA testing in a medicated cycle.They all followed the same protocol with down regulation, followed by estrogenic preparation for about 12–14 days, followed by progesterone for about 120 hours. An endometrial biopsy was taken at about 120 hours after progesterone exposure. Main results and the role of chance An ERA result was available on 28/30 patients. Eighteen were reported to be pre-receptive, seven receptive, 3 early receptive and 2 could not be analysed. The progesterone levels within 24 hours of the biopsy for the pre-receptive group ranged from 21.2–472 nmol/l, for the receptive group ranged from 27.8–152 nmol/l and for the early receptive group ranged from 54.9–162 nmol/l. Though the number of cases is small, we found no co-relation between the serum progesterone levels with the ERA results. Eighteen women underwent an embryo transfer based on the ERA results (pET-personalised embryo transfer). Eleven were positive with four live births, one early ongoing pregnancy, three miscarriages, one ectopic pregnancy, two biochemical pregnancies and seven negative results. Seven women had euploid embryo transfers-three had live births, one is viable at 11 weeks, one had a missed miscarriage and two were negative. There are no studies correlating the serum progesterone levels and the ERA results. In practice, we plan embryo transfers for women in frozen cycles by monitoring the serum progesterone levels alongside the day of the cycle. Hence, we wanted to review if the combination of the progesterone levels along with biopsy results would allow us the improve the results further. Limitations, reasons for caution This is a small study. Larger datasets are required to draw meaningful conclusions. Wider implications of the findings: If the above findings are confirmed by larger studies, we may not need to monitor serum progesterone levels during ERA biopsy cycles. Trial registration number NA


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W J Yang ◽  
F Lu ◽  
L Che. yu ◽  
Y. Y Hsuan ◽  
C Chin. Hung ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question Is ERA testing different between RIF patients with control group? Summary answer In RIF patients, there were more chances of non-receptive endometrium. ERA testing may be helpful for the patients with repeated IVF failure. What is known already: The endometrium receptivity analysis testing might have the ability to detect the implantation window. In repeat implantation failure patients, detecting of precisely implantation window may have some benefits. Study design, size, duration This was a single-center retrospective observational study. Two hundred and forty-nine patients who underwent ERA testing following frozen-thawed embryo transfer in our center were including in this study between January 2019 and May 2020. Participants/materials, setting, methods 181 patients having unexplained repeated IVF failure (RIF group, at least tow implantation failure) and 68 patients having no experience with embryo transfer (Control group) who underwent ERA testing were including in this study. Both of Patients having a receptive (R) ERA and having a non-receptive (NR) ERA underwent a personalized embryo transfer (pET) on ERA. ERA results and clinical outcomes compared between RIF group and control group were analyzed by Chi-square test. Main results and the role of chance The proportion of R/NR results were 33:35 for the RIF group and 118:63 for the Control group, demonstrating the displacement of the window of implantation in patients with RIF. Our results revealed an endometrial factor in 51% RIF patients, which was significantly greater than the Control group 34.8% (P = 0.02). Among the patients with NR ERA result, there are not significantly difference in clinical pregnancy rate in the RIF group compared with control group (57.1%. vs. 61.9%). The clinical pregnancy rate of the patients with receptive ERA result also is comparable in both group (70.3% vs. 66.7%). Limitations, reasons for caution This is a retrospective, single center study with limited case number. There were may some bias with ERA testing errors. Wider implications of the findings: In RIF patients, there were more chances of non-receptive endometrium. ERA testing may be helpful for the patients with repeated IVF failure. Larger randomized studies are required to validate these results. Trial registration number 18MMHISO70e


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aihua He ◽  
Yangyun Zou ◽  
Cheng Wan ◽  
Jing Zhao ◽  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Window of implantation (WOI) displacement is one of the endometrial origins of embryo implantation failure, especially repeated implantation failure (RIF). An accurate prediction tool for endometrial receptivity (ER) is extraordinarily needed to precisely guide successful embryo implantation. We aimed to establish an RNA-Seq-based endometrial receptivity test (rsERT) tool using transcriptomic biomarkers and to evaluate the benefit of personalized embryo transfer (pET) guided by this tool in patients with RIF. Methods This was a two-phase strategy comprising tool establishment with retrospective data and benefit evaluation with a prospective, nonrandomized controlled trial. In the first phase, rsERT was established by sequencing and analyzing the RNA of endometrial tissues from 50 IVF patients with normal WOI timing. In the second phase, 142 patients with RIF were recruited and grouped by patient self-selection (experimental group, n = 56; control group, n = 86). pET guided by rsERT was performed in the experimental group and conventional ET in the control group. Results The rsERT, comprising 175 biomarker genes, showed an average accuracy of 98.4% by using tenfold cross-validation. The intrauterine pregnancy rate (IPR) of the experimental group (50.0%) was significantly improved compared to that (23.7%) of the control group (RR, 2.107; 95% CI 1.159 to 3.830; P = 0.017) when transferring day-3 embryos. Although not significantly different, the IPR of the experimental group (63.6%) was still 20 percentage points higher than that (40.7%) of the control group (RR, 1.562; 95% CI 0.898 to 2.718; P = 0.111) when transferring blastocysts. Conclusions The rsERT was developed to accurately predict the WOI period and significantly improve the pregnancy outcomes of patients with RIF, indicating the clinical potential of rsERT-guided pET. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-DDD-17013375. Registered 14 November 2017, http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhong Shuai ◽  
Xuemei Li ◽  
Xuelian Tang ◽  
Fang Lian ◽  
Zhengao Sun

Objective: To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture stimulation (TEAS) on pregnancy outcomes in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Methods: A total of 122 women with RIF undergoing fresh embryo transfer cycle IVF were randomly allocated to a TEAS or mock TEAS (MTEAS) group. Gonadotrophin therapy using a long protocol was provided in both groups. TEAS consisted of 30 min of stimulation (9–25 mA, 2 Hz) at SP6, CV3, CV4 and Zigong from day 5 of the ovarian stimulation cycle once every other day until the day of embryo transfer. The patients in the control group received MTEAS. Implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were compared. Results: In the TEAS group, the implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate (24.3%, 32.8% and 27.9%, respectively) were significantly higher than in the MTEAS group (12.1%, 16.4% and 13.1%, respectively). Conclusions: TEAS significantly improves the clinical outcomes of subsequent IVF cycles among women who have experienced RIF. Trial registration number: ChiCTR-TRC-14004730.


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