A comparison of cleavage-stage embryo transfer and blastocyst transfers in patients with low anti-Mullerian hormone levels

Abstract

Aim: Decreased ovarian reserve is a common problem that many women struggle with and seek help by assisted reproductive techniques (ART). Embryo transfer (ET) is an important step in ART that can be performed on cleavage-stage (day 2 or 3) or blastocyst stage (day 5 or 6). This study aims to investigate the effect of ET day on pregnancy results in patients with low levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH).
 Material and Method: This retrospective study enrolled 239 women with low AMH levels referred to the Bahçeşehir University, Göztepe Medikal Park Hospital In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) Clinic from May 2015 to April 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: blastocyst transfer group and cleavage-stage transfer group. Among the participants, blastocyst transfer was performed in 30 women and cleavage-stage ET on 209 women,respectively.
 Results: Among 239 participants, 30 (12.6%) were in the blastocyst group, and 209 (87.4%) were in the cleavage-stage group. There was no significant difference in the total number of retrieved oocytes between the two groups (p=0.1). The number of mature oocytes (MII) was significantly different between the two groups (p=0.006). Examining pregnancy results between the two groups showed no significant difference between positive and negative pregnancy tests (p=0.4). Even though a higher live birth rate for the blastocyst transfer group was observed with 15(50%), no significant difference was found between the number of live births and miscarriages in the two groups (p=0.1).
 Conclusion: The transfer day does not affect the pregnancy results in women with low AMH levels.