The utility of embryo banking in order to increase the number of embryos available for preimplantation genetic screening in advanced maternal age patients.

PURPOSE: to determine if embryo banking with PGS is more optimal than proceeding with PGS regardless of embryo number. METHODS: patients were divided into 2 groups, group 1 were those that banked embryos and proceeded through another round of IVF prior to PGS, and group 2 underwent PGS regardless of embryo number. Group 2 was divided into group 2A (patients with >10 embryos) and group 2B (patients who had <10 embryos). RESULTS: there was no difference in embryos biopsied, normal embryos, number transferred, and pregnancy rate between group 1 and 2. A significant number of patients did not have a transfer in group 2B (6/11) compared to group 1 (3/19) (P = 0.0419). There was no significance between pregnancy rates per transfer between group 1 (6/16) and group 2B (2/5). CONCLUSION: our data suggests that banking will increase the odds of going to transfer but there was no increase in pregnancy rates.

The effects of different laser pulse lengths on the embryo biopsy procedure and embryo development to the blastocyst stage.

PURPOSE: a laser is commonly used to remove a blastomere from an embryo for genetic testing. The laser uses intense heat which could possibly disrupt embryo development. It is the goal of this study to test the effects of different laser pulse lengths (and consequently heat) on the embryo biopsy procedure and embryo development. METHODS: each embryo biopsy was performed randomly utilizing laser pulse lengths of 0.604mS (group I), 0.708mS (group II), and 1.010mS (group III). RESULTS: for groups I, II, and III, 83, 86, and 71 embryos were biopsied, respectively. There was no difference in day 5 embryo quality or lysed blastomeres between groups. Average number of blastomeres biopsied between group I (1.0 ± 0.0), II (1.0 ± 0.2), and III (1.1 ± 0.2) was significant (0.0001). CONCLUSION: our data demonstrates that laser pulse length does not influence the embryo biopsy procedure or embryo development.