AUTHOR=Li Yuan , Wen Quan , Liao Jingnan , Ma Shujuan , Zhang Shuoping , Gu Yifan , Tang Yi , Luo Keli , Yang Xiaoyi , Lu Guang-Xiu , Lin Ge , Gong Fei 

TITLE=Trophectoderm Biopsy Differentially Influences the Level of Serum β-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin With Different Embryonic Trophectoderm Scores in Early Pregnancy From 7847 Single-Blastocyst Transfer Cycles

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.794720

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2022.794720

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>To evaluate whether trophectoderm (TE) biopsy differentially influence the level of serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) with different TE-scored blastocysts transferred in early pregnancy.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This retrospective cohort study contained 7847 single-blastocyst transfer cycles executed between January 2019 and June 2020, including 2657 preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles and 5190 <italic>in vitro</italic> fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. All cycles were classified into biopsy and control groups, and further stratified based on the TE morphological scores into three subgroups: grades A, B, and C for TE scores, respectively. Intra-group and inter-group analyses were performed on serum β-hCG levels on the 12th day after blastocyst transfer (HCG<sub>12</sub>), and obstetric and neonatal outcomes.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>For cycles with a live birth, in grade A TE score subgroups, the HCG<sub>12</sub> level did not exhibit statistical significance between the control and biopsy groups after adjustment (769 mIU/mL vs. 753 mIU/mL, P=0.631). In contrast, in grade B and C TE score subgroups, the control group showed a significantly higher level of HCG<sub>12</sub> relative to the biopsy group (690 mIU/mL vs. 649 mIU/mL, P=0.001; 586 mIU/mL vs. 509 mIU/mL, P&lt;0.001, respectively). We observed no statistically significant differences in obvious adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes between the same TE-score subgroups of the biopsy group and control group.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>While blastocysts with higher TE grades produced higher serum β-hCG levels in early pregnancy, TE biopsy might exert a negative impact on serum β-hCG levels by blastocysts with a grade-B TE score and below. TE biopsy did not increase the risk for adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes.</p></sec>