Embryoman (2025)

31/10/2025

Transferring C-graded embryos can be a difficult choice, especially when higher-grade ones aren’t available.

While embryo grading helps predict pregnancy rates, it's not clear if there's any relationship with birth defects (congenital malformations).

A new study by Linqing Du and colleagues examined birth outcomes after transferring a single good or poor quality blastocyst, involving about 1500 transfers.

They found no increased risk of birth defects, and no differences in adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, like preterm birth, birthweight, gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes.

Other studies have found different results, but there are very limited data on this topic. Large numbers of births are needed to detect rare birth defects, making it hard to draw conclusions.

The authors note that high-quality, large-scale studies are needed to better understand how embryo grading relates to birth outcomes.

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

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𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐂-𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝/𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐲𝐨? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐨? 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

30/10/2025

The Uterine Wall of Fame (UWOF) is a collection of real IVF success stories from people who faced tough odds -- low-grade embryos, repeated failures, low AMH, mosaic results, and more.

UWOF #28 is one of those stories!

This couple saved for 4 years to afford IVF and were able to collect only about 100 s***m due to the husband’s childhood cancer. Two untested embryos were transferred at age 40, resulting in healthy boy/girl twins.

✅ Visit the UWOF to read this full story and others like it (link in the comments, free to access & no subscription required).

💌 Have a story of your own? Can be anonymous or named -- link to the form is in the comments.

⚠️ The UWOF is a project by Remembryo / Embryoman, created to give hope to others going through IVF with challenging situations. These stories are personal, not medical advice. What works for one may not work for all—always check with your doctor before making treatment changes.

𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

29/10/2025

Chromosomal errors that happen when the egg or s***m are formed affect every cell in the embryo. But if they happen after fertilization, only some cells are affected. This creates a mix of normal and abnormal cells known as mosaicism.

Earlier studies showed that mosaicism can start during the cleavage stage (days 2–3 of development). However, it's not clear if errors can also appear later during the blastocyst stage (days 5–7).

In a new study by Ahmed Abdelbaki and colleagues, researchers developed a gentle, non-toxic imaging method that let them label DNA and watch living human blastocysts divide in real time.

Using this technique, they saw that markers of chromosomal instability can still occur during the blastocyst stage, including misaligned or lagging chromosomes, multipolar divisions, and micronuclei.

These findings show that the blastocyst is dynamic and its cells can acquire chromosomal errors as it develops. Not all mosaic abnormalities detected by PGT-A therefore occur during the cleavage stage, and some may develop later as the embryo continues to develop. This isn't really surprising, but to my knowledge, it's the first study to directly visualize it.

This suggests that any PGT-A result -- whether euploid, mosaic, or aneuploid -- represents only a snapshot of the embryo’s genetic state at the moment of biopsy, and that new mosaic changes can continue to develop as the embryo grows.

This doesn’t mean PGT-A isn’t valuable, since its results still correlate with differences in success rates, but it does highlight that embryos are dynamic and may acquire additional chromosomal abnormalities after testing. It's not clear if these smaller, late-forming errors have any impact on success rates though (this wasn't evaluated).

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

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𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

27/10/2025

The latest ESHRE report analyzed over 900,000 IVF, ICSI, and frozen transfer cycles performed in 2020 across 41 European countries.

The total number of treatments dropped by 14% compared with 2019, likely reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility care access.

Despite the slowdown,pregnancy rates for IVF, ICSI, and frozen transfers were mostly unchanged. The trend toward single-embryo transfer continued, helping reduce twin deliveries to 10.9%.

✅ I haven't reviewed this one in detail, but you can find a link to the original article in the comments.

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𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

27/10/2025

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Link in the comments.

23/10/2025

S***m DNA fragmentation (SDF) refers to breaks or damage in the DNA of s***m, which can reduce fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy success.

Several tests are used to measure SDF levels and can be offered as IVF add-ons. Although high SDF has been linked to poorer outcomes, evidence remains mixed and routine testing is still debated.

In a 2025 review of 174 studies, Joaquín Llácer and colleagues evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the current evidence.

Research suggests that high SDF is associated with lower chances of natural conception and IUI success, poorer fertilization, reduced pregnancy rates, and a higher risk of miscarriage. High SDF may be reversible with treatments like varicocele repair, antioxidants, or lifestyle changes, which may improve fertility outcomes.

However, results are inconsistent, with no standard test or clear cutoff for “high” SDF. Findings vary between labs, depend on female factors like age and egg quality, show no consistent link to live birth rates, and are mostly based on lower-quality studies.

Overall, the authors note that SDF testing may be helpful for couples with unexplained infertility, recurrent miscarriage, or repeated IVF failure, but call for standardized testing methods, clear cut-offs, and well-designed randomized trials to clarify its role in IVF. “Until then, SDF testing should be considered a second-line diagnostic tool -- useful in selected cases, not as a universal screening test,” they write.

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

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𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 (𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫) 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐃𝐍𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝? 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

22/10/2025

While the impact of female obesity on IVF success has been studied, it’s less clear how a man’s weight affects outcomes.

A new study by Andreu Quintana-Vehí and colleagues used donor eggs and time-lapse monitoring to track embryo development and determine whether higher male BMI affected embryo growth or pregnancy outcomes.

Men with obesity (BMI ≥ 30) had embryos that developed more slowly and had slightly poorer ICM quality, which was linked to a slightly higher risk of miscarriage.

However, slower early development didn't change how many embryos reached the blastocyst stage, meaning obesity didn’t increase embryo arrest. There were also no differences in high-quality cleavage-stage embryos, pregnancy rates, or live birth rates.

These results suggest male obesity is linked to subtle changes in embryo development and quality that may slightly raise miscarriage risk. However, previous studies have shown mixed findings for embryos from obese men, suggesting that more work is needed.

The authors think these effects may stem from s***m DNA fragmentation or changes in RNA and metabolism.

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

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𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

21/10/2025

The Uterine Wall of Fame (UWOF) is a collection of real IVF success stories from people who faced tough odds -- low-grade embryos, repeated failures, low AMH, mosaic results, and more.

UWOF #27 is one of those stories!

Jessica was rejected by two clinics due to very low AMH and endometriosis, but then gave birth from a 6-cell day 3 embryo labeled “very poor quality”.

✅ Visit the UWOF to read this full story and others like it (link in the comments, free to access & no subscription required).

💌 Have a story of your own? Can be anonymous or named -- link to the form is in the comments.

⚠️ The UWOF is a project by Remembryo / Embryoman, created to give hope to others going through IVF with challenging situations. These stories are personal, not medical advice. What works for one may not work for all—always check with your doctor before making treatment changes.

𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

20/10/2025

Could the time of year you do IVF affect your chances of success?

Seasonal changes can influence hormones, egg and s***m quality, and even endometrial receptivity, leading some to wonder if temperature, sunlight, or humidity might affect implantation.

A new meta-analysis of nearly 160,000 fresh embryo transfers found no consistent link between season and IVF success. Minor differences seen in certain climates were small and likely due to other factors.

However, most of the included studies were retrospective and focused on fresh transfers, so more research is needed.

According to Deng et al. (2025), patients can move forward with IVF whenever they’re ready -- the season doesn’t appear to make a difference.

✅ I haven't reviewed this one in detail, but you can find a link to the original article in the comments.

✉️ Like this post? Explore more topics and sign up for my free Friday newsletter to stay updated on the latest IVF research (link in the comments).

𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

08/10/2025

Antioxidant supplements are often marketed to men as a way to improve s***m quality and boost pregnancy chances.

The SUMMER trial, published by Wiep de Ligny and colleagues, tested a popular antioxidant supplement called Impryl in more than 1,200 men. Impryl is widely sold in the UK and contains betaine, L-cystine, niacin, zinc, B vitamins, and folate.

Men took Impryl for six months, but it did not improve pregnancy rates, semen quality, or s***m DNA integrity compared with placebo. In fact, pregnancy rates were slightly lower during the period when the supplement should have worked best (four to six months).

The authors suggest this could be due to “reductive stress,” which happens when the body gets too many antioxidants. Although participants did not exceed recommended daily doses, the study did not measure baseline oxidative stress, so it’s possible that some men with already low oxidative stress were negatively affected.

Previous meta-analyses hinted that antioxidants could improve pregnancy outcomes, but those studies were small and lower in quality.

The researchers advise against using combined antioxidant supplements for male fertility, warning that they may do more harm than good.

This isn’t the first time these researchers have questioned the evidence behind antioxidant supplements. In a 2023 review, the same author found that fewer than half of male fertility supplements sold online had ever been tested in a clinical trial, and most contained doses exceeding the recommended daily allowance.

They write, “Patients and clinicians are often not aware of potential adverse effects and tend to assume that if it does not help, it does not hurt. Information on the efficacy and risks of nutritional supplements is currently not evidence-based and remains unclear.”

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

✉️ Like this post? Explore more topics and sign up for my free Friday newsletter to stay updated on the latest IVF research (link in the comments).

𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

07/10/2025

Repeated IVF failure can result from problems with the egg, s***m, or embryo.

Some of these problems are genetic. For example, mutations in the TUBB8 gene can stop the egg’s chromosomes from dividing properly, while mutations in PADI6 can cause embryos to stop developing soon after fertilization.

A new study by Biaobang Chen and colleagues looked at 3,627 women with unexplained infertility and repeated IVF failure. Using whole-exome sequencing, the researchers searched for genetic causes of egg and embryo defects linked to egg maturity problems, abnormal fertilization or embryo arrest.

They found that about 13% of women had mutations affecting egg or embryo development, most often in the TUBB8 and PATL2 genes. The team also discovered over 100 new genes that may play a role, including five that disrupted egg development in mice.

Still, most cases did not have a clear cause, possibly due to non-genetic factors, limits in current testing that miss some genetic or epigenetic changes, and the fact that male genetics were not analyzed.

These results suggest that many cases of “unexplained” IVF failure may actually have a genetic basis. Testing and counseling can help identify these issues, giving patients clearer answers and helping doctors plan the next steps, the authors write.

✅ Check out all the details on Remembryo, link is in the comments.

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𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄-𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔.

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