Laser-assisted hatching on clinical and neonatal outcomes in patients undergoing single vitrified Blastocyst transfer: A propensity score-matched study.

PURPOSE

This study determined the effect of laser-assisted hatching on the clinical and neonatal outcomes of single vitrified blastocyst transfer.

METHODS

From June 2014 to March 2018, 289 matched pairs after propensity score matching were analyzed. During the blastocyst warming procedure, a small section of the zona pellucida area in the empty perivitelline space was sliced off using multiple laser beams. The clinical and neonatal outcomes of the laser-treated group and non-treatment control were analyzed.

RESULTS

In the laser-assisted hatching group, significantly higher rates of clinical pregnancy (40.8% vs 29.4%,  < .01) and live delivery (34.3% vs 22.5%,  < .01) were observed compared to the control group. Other variables such as the average gestational weeks, the sex of the baby, birthweight, or congenital malformations were found to have no significant differences in neonatal outcomes. Moreover, all babies were singleton live births.

CONCLUSIONS

Single vitrified blastocyst transfer treated with laser-assisted hatching increases the live birth rate and has no adverse effects on neonatal outcomes.