EMBRYO PLOIDY AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN IVF CYCLES USING PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC TESTING FOR ANEUPLOIDY: A PRELIMINARY RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Authors

  • Theodora ARMEANU (POPESCU) Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
  • D. POPESCU Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
  • M. ONOFRIESCU Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
  • R. MAFTEI Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
  • Roxana DIACONU Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
  • A. S. CIOBICA Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iasi, Romania
  • D. URECHE Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau, Romania
  • Ramona-Alexandra CIAUSU Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iasi, Roman
  • B. DOROFTEI Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22551/MSJ.2026.02.09

Abstract

Embryonic chromosomal abnormalities represent a major cause of implantation failure and poor reproductive outcomes in assisted reproductive technologies (ART), particularly in couples of advanced reproductive age. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT‑A) has been increasingly applied to improve embryo selection; however, clinical outcomes remain influenced by multiple maternal and paternal factors. Materials and methods: This preliminary retrospective study included 31 couples undergoing In Vitro Fertilization-Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF-ICSI) with PGT‑A. A total of 104 blastocyst‑stage embryos were biopsied and analyzed using comprehensive chromosome screening. Maternal and paternal age, serum anti‑Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, spermogram diagnosis, embryo ploidy status, embryo transfer, clinical pregnancy, and live birth outcomes were assessed descriptively. Results: The mean maternal age was 38.36 years and the mean paternal age was 41.67 years, while the mean serum AMH level was 1.82 ng/mL. Among the 104 embryos analyzed, 50 (48.1%) were euploid and 54 (51.9%) were non‑euploid, including aneuploid, mosaic, degenerated, or inconclusive embryos. Male factor infertility, predominantly moderate to severe teratozoospermia, was frequently observed. Nineteen euploid embryos were transferred, resulting in seven confirmed clinical pregnancies and one live birth. Binary logistic regression revealed that both maternal age (p=0.006) and paternal age (p=0.047) were significant predictors of embryo euploidy. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that while a categorical age cutoff at 38 may mask biological trends, using both maternal and paternal age as continuous variables can significantly predict embryo aneuploidy. While PGT‑A facilitates the selection of chromosomally normal embryos, reproductive outcomes remain dependent on a complex interplay of maternal age, ovarian reserve, and male factor infertility. Larger prospective studies are required to further clarify the clinical utility of PGT‑A in routine IVF practice.

Author Biographies

  • Theodora ARMEANU (POPESCU), Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania

    Cuza-Vodă Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology Iasi, Romania
    Origyn Fertility Center, Iasi, Romania

  • M. ONOFRIESCU, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania

    Cuza-Vodă Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology Iasi, Romania

  • A. S. CIOBICA, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iasi, Romania

    Ioan Hăulică Institute, Apollonia University, Iasi, Romania
    Olga Necrasov Center, Romanian Academy, Iasi, Romania
    Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest, Romania

  • B. DOROFTEI, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania

    Cuza-Vodă Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology Iasi, Romania
    Origyn Fertility Center, Iasi, Romania

References

1. Munné S, Cohen J. Chromosome abnormalities in human embryos. Hum Reprod Update 1998; 4(6): 842 855 / doi: 10.1093/humupd/4.6.842.

2. Hassold T, Hunt P. To err (meiotically) is human. Nat Rev Genet 2001; 2(4): 280 291 / doi: 10.1038/ 35066065.

3. Fragouli E, Alfarawati S, Daphnis DD, et al. Cytogenetic analysis of human blastocysts with the use of FISH, CGH and aCGH: scientific data and technical evaluation. Hum Reprod 2011; 26(2): 480-490 / doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq344.

4. Abarca Rodríguez RA, Calull Bagó A, González Ortega C, et al. Euploidy rate and reproductive outcomes in embryos biopsied at the blastocyst stage. J Assist Reprod Genet 2025; 42: 2675-2683/ doi: 10.1007/s10815-025-03582-7.

5. Nagaoka SI, Hassold TJ, Hunt PA. Human aneuploidy: mechanisms and new insights. Nat Rev Genet 2012; 13(7): 493 504 / doi: 10.1038/nrg3245.

6. Harris BS, Acharya KS, Unnithan S, et al. Success rates with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy in good prognosis patients are dependent on age. Fertil Steril 2025; 123(3): 428-438 / doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.09.043.

7. Practice Committees of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. The use of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril 2024; 122(3): 421-434 / doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.04.013.

8. Treff NR, Zimmerman RS. Advances in preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disease and aneuploidy. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet 2017; 18: 189-200 / doi: 10.1146/annurev-genom 091416-035508.

9. Forman EJ, Hong KH, Ferry KM, et al. In vitro fertilization with single euploid blastocyst transfer: a randomized controlled trial. Fertil Steril 2013; 100(1): 100-107.e1 / doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert. 2013.02.056.

10. Scott RT Jr, Upham KM, Forman EJ, et al. Blastocyst biopsy with comprehensive chromosome screening and fresh embryo transfer significantly increases in vitro fertilization implantation and delivery rates: a randomized controlled trial. Fertil Steril 2013; 100(3): 697-703/ doi: 10.1016/j. fertnstert.2013.04.035.

11. Yan J, Qin Y, Zhao H, et al. Live birth with or without preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. N Engl J Med 2021; 385(22): 2047-2058/ doi: 10.1056/NEJM oa2103613.

12. Ribas Maynou J, Novo S, Torres M, et al. Sperm DNA integrity does play a crucial role for embryo development after ICSI, notably when good quality oocytes from young donors are used. Biol Res 2022; 55: 41/ doi: 10.1186/s40659-022-00409-y.

13. Eliner Y, Foley B, Bayer SR, et al. The impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy on time to live birth in in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 2025; 124(2): 281-289 / doi: 10.1016/j. fertnstert.2025.04.006.

14. Irani M, Zaninovic N, Rosenwaks Z, Xu K. Does maternal age at retrieval influence the implantation potential of euploid blastocysts? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2019; 220(4): 379.e1-379.e7 / doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2018.11.1103.

15. Tang S, Zhao P, Sun K, Zhang Q, Yu Y. Correlation between AMH levels and embryonic aneuploidy rate in PGT A patients: a retrospective study. J Assist Reprod Genet 2025; 42(11): 3901-3912 / doi: 10.1007/s10815-025-03619-x.

16. Carnesi E, Castellano S, Albani E, et al. Diminished ovarian reserve is associated to euploidy rate: a single center study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2025; 15: 1535776 / doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024. 1535776.

17. Kiseleva Y, Abubakirov A. Teratozoospermia and embryo aneuploidy. Fertil Steril 2017; 108: e127.

18. Mostafa Nayel D, Salah El Din Mahrous H, El Din Khalifa E, Kholeif S, Mohamed Elhady G. The Effect of Teratozoospermia on Sex Chromosomes in Human Embryos. Appl Clin Genet 2021 Mar 11; 14: 125-144 / doi: 10.2147/TACG.S299349.

19. Zou M, Raffi NAB, Mat Noor M, et al. Sperm DNA fragmentation and embryo aneuploidy: a comprehensive systematic review and meta analysis. Reprod Biomed Online 2026 / doi: 10.1016/ j. rbmo.2026.01.180.

20. Luján Irastorza JE, Durand Montaño C, Pacheco Pineda JG, et al. Relationship of morphology and chromatin integrity of sperm in aneuploid blastocyst development: embryos fertilized with sperm diagnosed with teratozoospermia. Obstet Gynecol Int J 2023; 14(4): 209-215.

21. Tomic V, Kasum M, Vucic K. Impact of embryo quality and endometrial thickness on implantation in natural cycle IVF. Arch Gynecol Obstet 2020; 301(5): 1325-1330 / doi: 10.1007/s00404-0 20-0 5507-4.

Additional Files

Published

2026-06-01

Issue

Vol. 130 No. 2 (2026): The Medical-Surgical Journal

Section

SURGERY

License

Copyright (c) 2026 The Medical-Surgical Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

COPYRIGHT 
Once an article is accepted for publication, MSJ requests a transfer of copyrights for published articles.

COPYRIGHT TRANSFER FORM FOR 

REVISTA MEDICO-CHIRURGICALĂ A SOCIETĂȚII DE MEDICI ȘI NATURALIȘTI DIN IAȘI /

THE MEDICAL-SURGICAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF PHYSICIANS AND NATURALISTS FROM IASI

We, the undersigned authors of the manuscript entitled

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

warrant that this manuscript, which is submitted for publication in the REVISTA MEDICO-CHIRURGICALĂ, has not been published and it is not under consideration for publication in another journal.

  1. we give the consent for publication in the REVISTA MEDICO-CHIRURGICALĂ, in printed and electronic format and we transfer unconditioned and complete the copyright of this manuscript to the REVISTA MEDICO-CHIRURGICALĂ, in the event of its acceptance.
  2. the manuscript does not break the intellectual property rights of any other person.
  3. we have read the submitted version of the manuscript and we are fully responsible for the content.

Names and signatures of authors / copyright owners (the following sequence is the authorship of the article):

  1. ______________________________/_________________________
  2. ______________________________/_________________________
  3. ______________________________/_________________________

N.B.  All the authors must sign this form