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Assessing the clinical viability of micro 3 pronuclei zygotes

  • Embryo Biology
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Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

What is the rate of euploidy and clinical viability of embryos resulting from micro 3 pronuclei zygotes?

Methods

Retrospective cohort analysis in a single, academic in vitro fertilization (IVF) center from March 2018 to June 2021. Cohorts were separated by fertilization as either a 2 pronuclear zygote (2PN) or micro 3 pronuclear zygote (micro 3PN). PGT-A was performed to identify embryonic ploidy rates in embryos created from micro 3PN zygotes. The clinical outcomes of all transferred euploid micro 3PN zygotes were evaluated from frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles.

Results

During the designated study period, 75,903 mature oocytes were retrieved and underwent ICSI. Of these, 60,161 were fertilized as 2PN zygotes (79.3%) and 183 fertilized as micro 3PN zygotes (0.24%). Of the micro 3PN-derived embryos that underwent biopsy, 27.5% (n=11/42) were deemed euploid by PGT-A, compared to 51.4% (n=12,301/23,923) of 2PN-derived embryos, p=0.06. Four micro 3PN-derived embryos were transferred in subsequent single euploid FET cycles, which includes one live birth and one ongoing pregnancy.

Conclusion

Micro 3PN zygotes that develop to the blastocyst stage and meet the criteria for embryo biopsy have the potential to be euploid by preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) and if selected for transfer can achieve a live birth. Although there are a significantly lower number of micro 3PN embryos that make it to blastocyst biopsy, the potential to continue to culture abnormally fertilized oocytes may give these patients a chance at pregnancy that they previously did not have.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the physicians, fellows, embryologists, and research and staff members for the valuable work and help in the realizing of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Klingenstein Pavilion, 9th Floor, 1176 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Chelsea Canon, Daniel Stein & Alan B. Copperman

  2. Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, 635 Madison Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA

    Chelsea Canon, Anabel Thurman, Albert Li, Carlos Hernandez-Nieto, Joseph A. Lee, Rose Marie Roth, Richard Slifkin, Christine Briton-Jones, Daniel Stein & Alan B. Copperman

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  1. Chelsea Canon
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Correspondence to Chelsea Canon.

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Ethics approval

This retrospective chart review study involving human participants was in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Human Investigation Committee (IRB# 18-00441) of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai approved this study.

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Alan Copperman is a board member of Sema4 Genomics and Progyny and possesses stock/stock options in Sema4 Genomics and Progyny. The other coauthors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Canon, C., Thurman, A., Li, A. et al. Assessing the clinical viability of micro 3 pronuclei zygotes. J Assist Reprod Genet 40, 1765–1772 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-023-02830-y

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