Dk. Gardner et al., Blastocyst score affects implantation and pregnancy outcome: towards a single blastocyst transfer, FERT STERIL, 73(6), 2000, pp. 1155-1158
Objective: To determine the relationship between blastocyst score and pregn
ancy outcome.
Design: Retrospective review of blastocyst transfer in an IVF clinic.
Setting: Private assisted reproductive technology unit. Patient(s): 107 pat
ients undergoing blastocyst culture and transfer of two embryos.
Intervention(s): Culture of all pronucleate embryos in sequential media to
the blastocyst stage (day 5), followed by transfer of two blastocysts.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Implantation rates, pregnancy rates, and twinning
were analyzed.
Result(s): When a patient received two top-scoring blastocysts (64% of pati
ents), implantation and pregnancy rates were 70% and 87%, respectively. The
twinning rate in this group was 61%. When only one top-quality blastocyst
was available for transfer (21% of patients), the implantation and pregnanc
y rates were 50% and 70%. The twinning rate for this group was 50%. In cont
rast, when only low-scoring blastocysts were available for transfer (15% of
patients), implantation and pregnancy rates were 28% and 44%, and the twin
ning rate was 29%. No monozygotic twins were observed in this group of pati
ents.
Conclusion(s): The ability to transfer one high-scoring blastocyst should l
ead to pregnancy rates greater than 60%, without the complication of twins.
(C) 2000 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.