Experience of using time lapse microscopy in the IVF program in patients with good ovarian reserve

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of single embryo transfer in patients with good ovarian reserve in the IVF program using time-lapse microscopy. This is a retrospective cohort study in a private IVF center in Russia. Comparison was done between 90 IVF cycles using time-lapse (study group) and 113 IVF cycles using standard culture (control group). Within each group, subgroups were selected with selective transfer of one embryo for 5 days (5SET) and elective transfer of one embryo for 5 days (5eSET). The primary outcome of the study was pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes were miscarriage rates, live birth. Pregnancy rate did not significantly differ between the groups – 64.2% in the study group and control group. In the study group, the delivery rate was 54% in the subgroup 5eSET and 51.1% in the subgroup 5SET (p = .940). In the control group, the type of the embryo transfer significantly influenced on the delivery rate: in the 5eSET subgroup the birth rate was 54.4%, and in the 5SET subgroup it was 34.3% (p = .055; by Fisher's exact method p = .052). There were no adverse effects of the intervention. Selection of a single blastocyst based on information derived from time-lapse monitoring can help embryo selection for transfer.

Keywords:

• Assisted reproductive technology
• time-lapse microscopy
• single blastocyst transfer
• elective transfer

Disclosure statement

None of the authors report any conflict of interest with this research.