P-134 Fatty acid supplementation during warming improves pregnancy outcomes after frozen blastocyst transfers: a propensity score-matched study
Authors: Sawado A , Ezoe K , Ohata K , Miki T , Amagai A , Shimazaki K , Okimura T , Kato K 
Published: July 2024

Study question

Does warming with fatty acids (FAs) affect the viability of human blastocysts and pregnancy outcomes after a single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (SVBT)?

Summary answer

FA-supplemented warming solutions promoted the blastocyst outgrowth by decreasing the degeneration of trophoblast cells and improved pregnancy outcomes after SVBTs.

What is known already

Vitrification is considered a well-established technique and has been used worldwide. However, previous studies demonstrated the detrimental effects of vitrification on pre-implantation development and term pregnancy in oocytes and embryos. Vitrification reduces the intracellular lipid content and decreases the competence for pre-implantation development. The FA supplementation into the warming solution restores the lipid content in the ooplasm and improves developmental competence by promoting the β-oxidation pathway in mice. Although, in humans, the FA-supplemented warming solutions reportedly improved pregnancy outcomes after vitrified-warmed cleavage-stage embryo transfers, the effectiveness of these solutions on blastocyst warming remain unclear.

Study design, size, duration

The experimental study included 401 discarded blastocysts. The blastocysts were warmed using the FA-supplemented (FA group) or non-supplemented (control group) solutions. The blastocyst adhesion, outgrowth area, and incidence of outgrowth degeneration were assessed. The retrospective cohort study included 4,426 treatment cycles from 4,426 women who underwent SVBTs between January 2023 and August 2023 (January–May 2023, control group; June–August 2023, FA group). Pregnancy outcomes were compared statistically between the groups.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The implantation competence was experimentally examined using an outgrowth model. The blastocysts were placed on fibronectin-coated dishes and cultured for 96 hours. The embryos were designated as degenerated when the outgrowth area decreased by &gt; 10%, compared with the maximum area. For the clinical study, multiple covariates that affected the outcomes were used for propensity score matching. The patients in the FA group were matched with controls using a propensity score in a 1:1 ratio.

Main results and the role of chance

The adhesion rate after the outgrowth culture was comparable between the control and FA groups. However, the outgrowth was larger in the FA group than in the control group. The multivariate linear regression analysis also demonstrated similar results. Furthermore, the incidence of outgrowth degeneration was significantly decreased in the FA group. Furthermore, the subgroup analyses revealed that FA-supplemented warming solutions were effective in blastocysts donated from young patients, day 5 blastocysts, and morphologically good blastocysts. For the retrospective cohort study, the implantation, clinical pregnancy, and ongoing pregnancy rates were significantly higher in the FA group than in the control group. The multivariate logistic regression analysis also demonstrated that warming with FA-supplemented solutions significantly increased the probability of ongoing pregnancies. However, the rates of early pregnancy loss and miscarriage in the first trimester were comparable between the groups. The subgroup analyses demonstrated a similar trend to in vitro experiments; the FA-supplemented solutions were more effective in good prognosis cases (young patients, day 4/5 blastocysts, and morphologically good blastocysts) than in poor prognosis cases (advanced age patients, day 6/7 blastocysts, and morphologically poor blastocysts).

Limitations, reasons for caution

This was a single-centre, retrospective study, necessitating further multicentre studies to ascertain the generalizability of these findings to other clinics with different protocols and/or patient demographics. Despite using propensity score matching and multivariate models to adjust for the confounders, we cannot adjust for all possible confounders.

Wider implications of the findings

FA-supplemented warming solutions improved pregnancy outcomes after SVBTs, particularly in patients with a good prognosis. These warming solutions could contribute to maximizing clinical outcomes, shortening treatment periods, and reducing patient burden.

Trial registration number

not applicable