Abstract
Research question
What is the prevalence of embryo abnormal early cleavage (ACL) identified by time
lapse and factors related to patients and treatment that explain ACL occurrence?
Design
A single-centre, retrospective cohort study. Data were collected on all IVF cycles
for which embryos were observed in the EmbryoScope® between December 2015 and August
2017. Only diploid zygotes cleaved on day 2 were included. The study included 318
cycles (250 couples and 1343 embryos). Embryo videos were retrospectively analysed
for ACL. The prevalence of each type of ACL was recorded. The influence of clinical
factors (whether they were intrinsic to patients or specific to IVF treatment) on
ACL occurrence was analysed in multivariate multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression
analysis.
Results
A high prevalence of ACL was observed: 37.6% (505/1343) of embryos presented at least
one ACL, 22.8% (306/1343) a trichotomous mitosis, 25.8% (347/1343) a rapid cleavage,
6.7% (90/1343) a cell fusion and two or more ACL (16.1%). Part of the variation (12–25%)
in ACL occurrence could be explained by embryo origin. Trichotomous mitosis and two
or more ACL phenotypes were less likely to occur in women with endometriosis or tubal
pathology and tubal pathology alone, respectively. No factor related to IVF cycles
was found to be statistically associated with ACL occurrence.
Conclusions
Our findings emphasize the importance of considering embryo origin when interpreting
studies focusing on embryo characteristics and factors that could affect their quality.
The present study is limited by a small sample size of known embryo implantations
and monocentric criterion.
KEYWORDS
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Biography
Xavier Ferraretto, MD, PhD, is a medical doctor and senior embryologist at the Reproduction Biology Department of Bichat Hospital in Paris (Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris). His research interests are embryo morphokinetics, fertility preservation and assisted reproductive technology in a viral context (hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus).
Key message
Abnormal early cleavages can be partially explained by embryo origin, with only a few patient-related factors exerting an influence. It is important when analysing embryonic parameters, therefore, not to consider the embryos individually but to take into account whether or not they are from the same couple.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 19, 2021
Accepted:
June 11,
2021
Received in revised form:
May 17,
2021
Received:
February 23,
2021
Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
