Does Blastocyst Morphology Influence Live Birth Rate After Single Euploid Embryo Transfer?
Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the morphologic parameters of euploid blastocyst influence the live birth rate (LBR) following single frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles?Methods: Women who undergone first preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) and following received single FET cycles from June 2017 to September 2019 were divided into three age groups (<30, 30-34 and ≥35 years). The primary outcome measure was LBR. Outcomes were compared to determine the association among different blastocyst quality (Good, Average and Poor), inner cell mass (ICM) grade (A and B), and trophectoderm (TE) grade (A, B and C) and LBR.Results: In the youngest group (<30 years, n=86), LBR were compared between cycles with various blastocyst quality (72.22% for good quality, 54.55% for average quality and 34.78% for poor quality; P=0.019), ICM grade (70.59% for grade A and 42.03% for grade B; P=0.035) and TE grade (85.71% for grade A,57.58% for grade B and 34.78% for grade C; P=0.015). Similarly, in the 30-34 years group, LBR ranged from 50.00% for good quality to 45.45% for poor quality (P=0.870), from 35.29% for ICM grade A to 51.22% for ICM grade B (P=0.291), from 60.00% for TE grade A to 45.45% for TE grade C (P=0.634). Likewise, in the oldest group (≥35years, n=47), LBR were also comparable between these subgroups, but no significant differences were seen between blastocyst morphologic parameters and LBR (P>0.05). Conclusion: LBR was associated with morphologic parameters of euploid blastocysts, especially in women <30 years old. However, these differences were not found in women older than 30 years.