Abstract:

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate placenta-associated plasma protein (PAPP-A) and free human chorionic gonadotropin (B-hCG) levels after blastocyst transfer versus cleavage-stage embryo transfer. Materials and method: A total of 449 women were included in this rerospective sudy. The study consisted of two groups: Group 1: pregnant women conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures after fresh embryo transfer at the cleavage stage (day 2 or day 3) and had first trimester fetal aneuploidy biochemical markers performed at 11-14th gestational week (n: 275). Group 2: pregnant women conceived by ICSI procedures after fresh embryo transfer at the blastocyst stage (day 5) and had first trimester fetal aneuploidy biochemical markers performed at 11-14th gestational week (n:174). Demographic characteristics, causes of infertility, duration of infertility, stimulation protocol regimens, total gonadotropin doses, number of follicles and oocytes retrieval, endometrial thickness, fundus –embryo distance were recorded and placenta-associated plasma protein (PAPP-A) and free human chorionic gonadotropin (B-hCG) levels were measured. Results: We found no significant differences in PAPP-A and free B-hCG levels, stimulation protocols regimens and endometrial thickness and fundus-embryo distance. Diminished ovarian reserve and total gonadotropin doses were significiantly higher in group 1 (p < 0.05). Number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieval and MII oocytes were significiantly higher in group 2 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: No difference was observed in PAPP-A and free B-hCG levels between the 3rd and the 5th day fresh transfer.

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