Clinical study on the most suitable area for carrying out a biopsy on embryos. ESHRE, 2016

An embryo biopsy can potentially damage the embryo and it is for this reason that, at Instituto Bernabeu, we study different ways of optimising the options of achieving pregnancy amongst our patients. In this particular case, we studied how the position of inner cellular mass (ICM) during an embryo blastocyst biopsy affects clinical results.

Embryo biopsies during the blastocyst phase facilitate more reliable results than biopsies carried out during the morula stage (during the embryo’s first few hours of division) and they cause it no apparent harm. Assisted hatching, which is carried out on day 3 of embryo development, is necessary in order to facilitate cell retrieval later on in the biopsy.

This process means that the position of the ICM (inner cellular mass) in the blastocyst – the part which later gives rise to the foetus – can be inside the zona pellucida, herniated or outside of this area when the biopsy takes place.

To date, there were no studies available on a possible connection between clinical results (pregnancy and pregnancy loss) and the position of the ICM when the biopsy takes place. For this reason, Instituto Bernabeu undertook this prospective study which will be presented in an oral presentation at the European Reproduction and Embryology Congress (ESHRE).

The study was carried out on 157 euploid embryos analysed using array CGH and transferred to 139 patients in cycles carried out between January 2014 and October 2015 and aimed to determine if there is a relationship between the ICM position and clinical results obtained in those cycles.

The results obtained confirmed that the ICM position when the biopsy takes place does not negatively affect neither the clinical results obtained, nor pregnancy rates, nor biochemical and clinical pregnancy loss. Therefore, we may conclude that embryo biopsy is a safe procedure, irrespective of its position in the ICM at the time the biopsy takes place.

The position of the inner cell mass during blastocyst biopsy does not affect clinical results. H. Blanca, J. Ten, M.C. Díaz, A. Rodríguez-Arnedo, J. Guerrero, J. Ll. Aparicio, F. Sellers, R. Bernabeu

ORAL PRESENTATION, ESHRE 2016