The following is a summary of the “PGT pregnancies have a similar risk for post-partum complications as naturally conceived pregnancies,” published in the January 2023 issue of Reproductive Biomedicine Online by Srebnik, et al.

All patients between the ages of 18 and 45 at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC) who conceived after PGT and had a singleton live birth at or beyond 24 weeks of gestation were included in a retrospective cohort study conducted between 2008 and 2020. Information was gathered from electronic medical records and hospital databases. Women who conceived their babies naturally were compared to those who conceived through in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and vice versa.

There were 3,507 births, 120 were conceived through PGT, 779 through IVF-ICSI, and the rest occurred naturally. Age was significantly higher in the PGT (P = 0.003) and ICSI (P = 0.002) groups (31.07 ± 4.38 PGT, 31.66 ± 5.03 ICSI, 28.77 ± 5.72 naturally conceived), but otherwise, demographics were similar. Complications related to the placenta were more common in the PGT and IVF-ICSI groups than in the naturally conceived group (20.0% vs. 18.9% vs. 10.3%, respectively, P<0.001, P = 0.007). 

The risk of composite post-partum placental-related complications was higher in IVF-ICSI pregnancies (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.20–1.97) than in those conceived naturally (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.44, 95% CI 0.83-2.15), but PGT was not independently associated with these complications in a multivariate regression model. Embryo transfer on day 3 was as effective as on day 5, and there was no difference between fresh and frozen cycles. In contrast to pregnancies achieved through in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, PGT pregnancies have the same risk of placental-related complications after delivery as natural conception. There is a possibility that infertility itself is the primary mediator of post-partum complications in IVF-ICSI pregnancies.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472648322007039