EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC TESTING IN WOMEN IN THE ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE GROUP

Zhuikov Andrey, Boyarsky Konstantin, Semenenko Anastasiya, Zhuikova Svetlana

This review includes recent data on the need for and feasibility of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) in women in the advanced maternal age group (35+). An increase in maternal age is associated with an increase in the incidence of aneuploidy in the embryo. PGT allows the selection of euploid embryos for transfer. According to some reports this leads to better embryo implantation rates, lower early miscarriage rates and consequently higher live birth rates, and also reduces the risk of multiple pregnancies. But conclusive evidence is still not yet sufficient. The lack of well-designed randomised trials does not allow issues about the potential obstetric, neonatal or long-term effects of embryo biopsy to be fully addressed. Therefore, to overcome the potential risks of complications after embryo biopsy, some authors suggest the use of a non-invasive PGT method based on extracellular DNA analysis of the embryo, but this has not yet been fully developed. Additional limiting factors for the use of PGT are its high cost, the use of different genome reading methods that can lead to different interpretations of the test results, the presence of mosaicism in the embryo. Therefore, the question of the effectiveness and safety of PGT in general and in women of advanced maternal age in particular requires further development.

Keywords:assisted reproductive technologies, preimplantation genetic testing, aneuploidy.