DENVER, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on data from a recent study, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) is reporting the lowest chromosomal mosaicism rates in the U.S. at less than three percent of all biopsied blastocysts across the CCRM network. The incidence of chromosomal mosaicism in our study closely resembles the 1-2 percent incidence of mosaicism observed in natural and in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinical pregnancies.
CCRM conducted next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of 21,664 biopsied human blastocysts, from six IVF labs across the U.S. and Canada, and found that the overall incidence of chromosome mosaicism was only 2.45 percent. In comparison, other recent studies on blastocyst chromosomal mosaicism have cited 20-40 percent incidence rates.
"Our findings underscore the confidence we have in our chromosome screening process and lab protocols," said CCRM Founder William Schoolcraft, M.D. "What patients can take away from this study is assurance in selecting the very best embryos to transfer that are more likely to result in a successful, healthy live birth."
More than a decade ago, CCRM pioneered comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS) for its IVF patients. Since then, nearly 4,000 chromosomally normal babies have been born as a result of IVF with CCS testing at CCRM.
During the chromosomal screening process, a handful of embryonic cells are biopsied from a blastocyst and classified as either euploid (chromosomally normal – having 23 pairs of chromosomes), aneuploid (chromosomally abnormal) or aneuploid mosaic (a mix of chromosomally normal and abnormal cells). The blastocysts with chromosomally normal cells are then transferred into the uterus to establish a clinical pregnancy.
Since the majority of miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities (approximately 70 percent), euploid blastocysts are more likely to implant and result in a live birth. A high incidence of chromosomal mosaicism can negatively impact the clinical benefit of CCS.
"The study findings are a reflection of CCRM's high level of expertise, experience and strict quality controls in our IVF and CCS labs, enabling us to offer infertility patients the highest levels of confidence and reliability," said CCRM Scientific Director Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Ph.D. "The confirmation of consistent CCS results in our quality control processes of blinded re-analysis validates our clinical practice of transferring only euploid blastocysts," said CCRM scientific director Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Ph.D.
The CCRM study findings will be presented at the ASRM Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, October 28 - November 1.
CCRM
Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) is one of the nation's leading infertility treatment centers, providing a wide spectrum of infertility treatments ranging from basic infertility care to advanced IVF technology. CCRM has locations in Colorado, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, San Francisco and Toronto, Canada. Dr. Schoolcraft and his colleagues achieve some of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. CCRM has been ranked "The #1 Fertility Center in the U.S." by Parents.com. To learn more, visit www.ccrmivf.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE CCRM