Aneuploidy Rates in Failed Pregnancies Following Assisted Reproductive Technology

Prenatal Testing and Pregnancy Termination Among Muslim Women Living in Israel Who Have Given Birth to a Child with a Genetic Disease

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a Muslim woman with a child afflicted with a genetic disease who is living at home would perform more prenatal tests and pregnancy terminations as opposed to a woman with a normal child living at home, and what demographic characteristics, if any, influenced this decision. The study included 771 Muslim women; 37.1% lived with a child afflicted with a genetic disease; and 62.9% did not. Muslim women with a child affected with a genetic disease living at home will undergo more prenatal testing and more pregnancy terminations. Village dwellers were more religious and consulted further with a religious authority. More city dwellers underwent prenatal tests and pregnancy terminations and received more health care and genetic counseling. In the villages populated by Muslims, more genetic counselling must be given, accompanied by guidance from religious Muslim authorities.

Prenatal Tests Undertaken by Muslim Women Who Underwent IVF Treatment, Secular Versus Religious: An Israeli Study

Our goal was to determine if differences exist in the attitudes of religious Muslim women living in Israel toward prenatal testing and pregnancy termination after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) compared to the secular Muslim women who had undergone IVF. Six hundred and ninety-nine Muslim women from cities and villages participated, 47% city-dwellers; 53% village-dwellers; 50%-secular; 50%-religious. Secular women who had undergone IVF performed more invasive tests and terminated more pregnancies due to an abnormal fetus than religious women. More genetic counseling must be provided explaining the different prenatal tests and the problems in raising an abnormal child.

Molecular cytogenetic analysis of early spontaneous abortions conceived from varying assisted reproductive technology procedures

Background

Spontaneous abortion (SA) is the most common complication of pregnancy, and chromosome aberrations are the principal cause of the first trimester abortuses in natural conception (NC) The increasing use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has raised concern about chromosome abnormalities in ART-initiated pregnancies. Up to date, the literature on the risk of aneuploidy in failed pregnancies among various ART factors remain limited and inconclusive. This study aimed to explore the genetic etiology of pregnancy loss conceived from varying ART procedures.

Results

A total of 560 cases of villus that were successfully collected and performed molecular karyotype analysis were enrolled in present research, including 92 cases of NC, 340 cases of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and 128 cases of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). There was no statistical difference in the distribution of karyotyping results and the aneuploidy rate of each individual chromosome among NC, IVF and ICSI group. Both the total chromosomal abnormality rate and the one chromosome aneuploidy rate were increased with maternal age. Compared with fresh ET abortion group, frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) abortion group had elder maternal age (34.68 ± 4.73 years vs. 33.41 ± 4.48 years, P = 0.003) but lower chromosomal aberration rate of abortus (58.33 % vs. 67.50 %, P = 0.040). A slightly higher incidence of chromosome segmental abnormalities was found in FET than in fresh ET abortion (5.26 % vs. 2.08 %, P = 0.066).

Conclusions

Chromosomal abnormality of fetus is the main cause of SA in the first trimester, no matter pregnancies are conceived through NC, IVF or ICSI. ART is a relatively safety treatment, and it does not enhance aneuploidy rate of abortus. The FET is bad for ongonging pregnancy and the aneuploidy rate were increased with maternal age.

Classic and cutting-edge strategies for the management of early pregnancy loss

There are few conditions in medicine associated with more heartache to patients than recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). The management of early RPL is a formidable clinical challenge for physicians. Great strides have been made in characterizing the incidence and diversity of this heterogeneous disorder, and a definite cause of pregnancy loss can be established in more than half of couples after a thorough evaluation. In this review, current data are evaluated and a clear roadmap is provided for the evaluation and treatment of RPL.

ART and health: clinical outcomes and insights on molecular mechanisms from rodent studies

Since the birth of the first IVF-conceived child in 1978, the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has grown dramatically, contributing to the successful birth of 5 million individuals worldwide. However, there are several reported associations of ART with pregnancy complications, such as low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth, birth defects, epigenetic disorders, cancer and poor metabolic health. Whether this is attributed to ART procedures or to the subset of the population seeking ART remains a controversy, but the most relevant question today concerns the potential long-term implications of assisted conception. Recent evidence has emerged suggesting that ART-conceived children have distinct metabolic profiles that may predispose to cardiovascular pathologies in adulthood. Because the eldest IVF individuals are still too young to exhibit components of chronic middle-aged syndromes, the use of animal models has become particularly useful in describing the effects of unusual or stressful preimplantation experiences on adult fitness. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which embryos integrate environmental signals into development and metabolic gene expression programs will be essential for optimizing ART procedures such as in vitro culture conditions, embryo selection and transfer. In the future, additional animal studies to identify mechanisms underlying unfavorable ART outcomes, as well as more epidemiological reviews to monitor the long-term health of ART children are required, given that ART procedures have become routine medical practice.