A group of researchers from Instituto Bernabeu Biotech discover key factors in biochemical abortion thanks to artificial intelligence

A study led by doctors José Antonio Ortiz, Belén Lledó and Ruth Morales, published in the Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology journal, links biochemical pregnancy with embryo biopsy and ovarian stimulation.

A group of researchers from Instituto Bernabeu Biotech, led by doctors José Antonio Ortiz, biochemist and molecular biologist, Belén Lledó, geneticist and scientific director of IB Biotech, and Ruth Morales, geneticist and director of the Genetic and Reproductive Counselling Unit at Instituto Bernabeu, have developed a study that identifies the main variables associated with biochemical abortion.

The article, entitled Factors affecting biochemical pregnancy loss (BPL) in preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) cycles, was recently published in the prestigious journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology.

Abortion or biochemical pregnancy is a pregnancy loss that occurs when an embryo, which initially implants in the uterus, stops developing. The pregnancy test is positive but the HCG hormone subsequently decreases until it becomes negative a few days later with the onset of menstruation. This event is not exclusive to assisted reproduction treatments, as it also happens in naturally achieved pregnancies.

The research used machine learning tools to identify factors associated with this early termination of pregnancy in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments with genetically normal embryo transfer.

The research used machine learning tools to identify factors associated with this early termination of pregnancy in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments with genetically normal embryos transfer.

A pioneering approach

The aim of the study was to analyse, using machine learning, the factors affecting the probability of biochemical miscarriage in preimplantation genetic diagnosis cycles for aneuploidy (PGT-A). Unlike other works, this research focused exclusively on chromosomally normal embryos, which allowed a more precise and detailed analysis of the variables involved.

The study involved the collaboration of three departments at Instituto Bernabeu: Molecular Biology and Genetics, Reproductive Medicine and Reproductive Biology, which reinforces its comprehensive nature. According to the authors, few previous studies have addressed this problem in depth, which makes this work a valuable contribution to the field of assisted reproduction.

Outstanding findings

The results obtained from the study are in line with current trends in the field of reproductive medicine, such as performing gentle ovarian stimulation and minimising manipulations on the embryo. In both cases there is a decrease in biochemical miscarriage rates in PGT-A cycles.