Obstetric and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies conceived after preimplantation genetic diagnosis: cohort study and meta-analysis

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) may pose risks to pregnancy outcome owing to the invasiveness of the biopsy procedure. This study compares outcome of singleton and twin clinical pregnancies conceived after fresh embryo transfers of PGD (n = 89) and matched intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancies (n = 166). The study was carried out in a single university affiliated centre. Because of the paucity of available data, a literature-based meta-analysis of studies comparing neonatal outcome of PGD and ICSI pregnancies was also conducted. In the retrospective cohort study, obstetric and neonatal outcome were available in 67 PGD and 118 ICSI pregnancies. Perinatal outcomes were comparable between PGD and ICSI pregnancies. Meta-analysis revealed similar outcomes, except for higher rate of low birth weight (<2500 g) neonates in ICSI twin pregnancies (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.0). Mean birth weight, gestational age at birth, pre-term deliveries (<37 weeks) and malformations were all comparable. In this cohort study and subsequent meta-analysis, no association was found between PGD conceived pregnancies and risks of adverse neonatal or obstetrical outcomes compared with ICSI pregnancies. Hence, blastomere biopsy for PGD does not seem to increase the risk for adverse perinatal outcome compared with ICSI pregnancies.