IVF NewsNews: PGT-A in Japan: single-arm study misses its ongoing pregnancy endpoint
IVF.net Newsdesk 12 October 2026
A prospective study of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy and structural rearrangements (PGT-A/SR) in Japan did not meet its primary endpoint. Ongoing pregnancy at 12 to 13 weeks was 48.6% per transfer (106/218), against a benchmark of 42.4% (p=0.064) (Takiuchi et al.). That benchmark is an age-weighted clinical pregnancy rate from the national registry, not an ongoing pregnancy rate. The authors call the comparison deliberately conservative and asymmetric. The study was published in Reproductive Medicine and Biology on 7 October 2026 (Takiuchi et al.). Tsuyoshi Takiuchi and colleagues ran the single-arm study at four centres in Osaka, led by the University of Osaka. Japan bars mixing insured and self-funded care, so paying for PGT made the whole IVF cycle self-funded. The study ran under the Advanced Medical Care B framework to inform whether public insurance should cover PGT-A/SR (Takiuchi et al.). Couples had recurrent implantation failure, recurrent pregnancy loss or a structural chromosomal rearrangement. Between April 2023 and January 2024, 375 couples were registered and 344 had PGT-A/SR (Takiuchi et al.). Laser-assisted trophectoderm biopsy took about 5 to 10 cells on day 5 or 6, and blastocysts were vitrified straight after. Testing was done centrally by Takara Bio, with its Embgenix PGT-A kit and low-coverage whole-genome sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq. Mosaicism meant an estimated 30% to 80% abnormal cells (Takiuchi et al.). Of 1,253 biopsied blastocysts, 42.5% were category A (euploid), 13.0% category B (euploid with suspected mosaic aneuploidy) and 44.5% category C (aneuploid). One gave no reliable result. In all, 218 women had a first frozen-warmed single blastocyst transfer of a category A or B embryo (Takiuchi et al.). Clinical pregnancy, a prespecified supportive outcome on the benchmark's own scale, was 57.8% per transfer (126/218). The benchmark was the same 42.4% (p<0.001) (Takiuchi et al.). Miscarriage by 12 to 13 weeks, a secondary outcome, was 15.9% per clinical pregnancy (20/126), against 23.4% (p=0.045). That benchmark used registry miscarriage rates up to 22 weeks, multiplied by 0.90 to approximate loss by 12 weeks (Takiuchi et al.). Counted per woman who had PGT-A/SR (344), the rates were lower. Of these, 36.6% had a clinical pregnancy and 30.8% an ongoing pregnancy at the first transfer. These figures were descriptive. Overall, 126 women did not reach transfer, including 84 (24.4%) with no category A or B embryo (Takiuchi et al.). Age subgroups were prespecified but exploratory, with p values not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Ongoing pregnancy per transfer exceeded the age-specific registry clinical pregnancy benchmark at 35 to 39 years (53.0% vs 42.6%; p=0.036). It also did so at 40 to 42 years (42.3% vs 27.5%; p=0.017). Under 35 it was 47.0% against 53.9% (p=0.258), and no benefit was shown (Takiuchi et al.). Ongoing pregnancy still varied with blastocyst grade after testing. Per transfer, it was 58.0% with good, 44.9% with moderate and 38.5% with poor Gardner grades. These estimates were exploratory (Takiuchi et al.). The authors say the results show association, not causal superiority over standard care. The benchmarks came from the 2018 to 2019 registry of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG). There was no concurrent control group (Takiuchi et al.). The registry included fresh and frozen transfers and many good-prognosis patients, whereas this cohort was enriched for implantation failure and pregnancy loss. Outcomes were not followed to birth, and time to pregnancy and cost were not assessed (Takiuchi et al.). The first author is affiliated with a joint research division at the University of Osaka funded by Takara Bio. The study reported no external funding (Takiuchi et al.). The UK fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), rates treatment add-ons on a traffic-light scale. For most patients, it rates PGT-A red for raising the chance of a baby and green for reducing miscarriage. It rates both grey for older women, citing insufficient evidence (HFEA). For labs: per-transfer rates can flatter PGT-A when many patients have nothing to transfer. It helps to report outcomes per woman biopsied as well as per transfer, with the share reaching no transfer. A PGT-A audit could also track euploid, mosaic and no-result rates by age, alongside biopsy damage and post-warming survival. Mosaic rates depend on the calling threshold, so it helps to state it when comparing labs. With only 20 category B transfers here, the data say little about mosaic embryos. Related reading: on IVF.net, PGT-A shows no evidence of raising live birth rate per woman, review finds and segmental mosaic embryos, PGT-M recombination and Day 5 vs Day 6 blastocysts. International IVF Initiative session: PGT: 360 Degrees. Sources7 October 2026. Reproductive Medicine and Biology Accessed 9 October 2026. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]  
News: Sperm DNA fragmentation testing: longer abstinence linked to higher results
IVF.net Newsdesk 09 October 2026
Men who abstained for more than four days before a semen test were more likely to have sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) above 20%, a Qatar study reports. The authors recommend a maximum of four days' abstinence before SDF testing, although abstinence alone predicted high SDF only weakly (Henkel et al.). Ralf Henkel and colleagues published the retrospective study in Frontiers in Urology on 22 September 2026. It covered 2,782 consecutive men seen for fertility evaluation at the Department of Urology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, between January 2016 and January 2018 (Henkel et al.). SDF was measured in 762 of the men, using the Halosperm G2 sperm chromatin dispersion test. Seminal oxidative stress was measured as static oxidation-reduction potential (sORP) with the MiOXSYS system (Henkel et al.). Mean SDF was 27.8% after 1 to 2 days and after 3 to 4 days of abstinence, and 34.2% after 7 days or more (125 men). The trend across groups was significant. In pairwise tests, only the 7-days-or-more group differed significantly from the two shorter groups (Henkel et al.). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis set the abstinence threshold at more than four days. The authors describe its predictive power as "relatively weak": area under the curve 0.572, sensitivity 29.1% and specificity 82.3% (Henkel et al.). Age over 37 years (area under the curve 0.591) and sORP above 59.9 mV (0.566) performed similarly. Above each cut-off, the unadjusted odds ratios for SDF above 20% were 1.91 for abstinence, 1.74 for age and 1.66 for sORP (Henkel et al.). Men over 37 with sORP above 59.9 mV had almost three times the odds of high SDF (odds ratio 2.81). The comparison was with men aged 37 or under with lower sORP, and abstinence was not part of this analysis (Henkel et al.). The study was single-centre and reports test results, not treatment outcomes. Smoking, obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle factors were not recorded, and only six men abstained for longer than seven days. One author is employed by LogixX Fertility (Henkel et al.). The authors note that the World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory manual recommends 2 to 7 days of abstinence. The American Urological Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine and European Association of Urology follow this. The Nordic Association for Andrology and ESHRE's andrology special interest group recommend 3 to 4 days (Henkel et al.). The UK regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, says SDF testing is not standardised, and that a "high" result is typically a DFI above 25% (HFEA). For labs: record days of abstinence with every SDF result, and show it on the report. A high result after 7 days or more of abstinence should be read with that in mind. Keep abstinence instructions consistent so repeat tests are comparable; a 3 to 4 day window fits both the WHO and ESHRE ranges (Henkel et al.). The four-day limit is the authors' proposal from one retrospective study, not a guideline. The 20% cut-off is for the Halosperm sperm chromatin dispersion test and should not be applied to TUNEL or SCSA results. Related reading: International IVF Initiative sessions on sperm DNA fragmentation and its impact on IVF outcomes and sperm genomic integrity. On IVF.net: Embryology essentials: an A to Z glossary for the IVF laboratory. Sources22 September 2026. Frontiers in Urology Accessed 8 October 2026. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
Join Our IVF Newsletter for Updates & Latest JobsNews: Sperm DNA fragmentation above 20% linked to poorer embryo development, with no evidence of lower fertilisation
IVF.net Newsdesk 09 October 2026
Sperm DNA fragmentation above 20% was linked to poorer embryo development after conventional IVF, with no evidence of lower normal fertilisation. The retrospective study of 1,423 cycles was carried out at Huzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, China. It was published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology on 21 September 2026 (Peng et al.). Lijun Peng and colleagues analysed the first eligible conventional IVF cycle for each woman between August 2021 and December 2025. Cycles with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), rescue ICSI or mixed insemination were excluded. In all, 1,218 cycles had a DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of 20% or below, and 205 had a DFI above 20% (Peng et al.). Normal fertilisation (two pronuclei, 2PN, per inseminated oocyte) was 63.7% in the lower-DFI group and 62.3% in the higher-DFI group (adjusted odds ratio 0.96, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.10). Good-quality Day 3 embryos per 2PN zygote were 34.5% and 29.4% (adjusted odds ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.87) (Peng et al.). Among embryos placed in extended culture, blastocyst formation was 57.3% and 50.4% (adjusted odds ratio 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96). The share of blastocysts graded good quality was 34.4% and 30.8%, which was not significant (adjusted odds ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.11) (Peng et al.). The models adjusted for both partners' ages, female BMI and basal FSH. In the higher-DFI group, both partners were older, female BMI was slightly higher, and progressive motility and normal morphology were lower. Adding morphology and oocytes inseminated to the model gave the same pattern; motility was not in the models (Peng et al.). Results depended on the cut-off. Neither outcome was significant at a 15% threshold, and blastocyst formation was not significant at 25% or 30%. With DFI above 30% (43 cycles), blastocyst formation was 61.1%, so there was no clear dose-response (Peng et al.). DFI was measured with a commercial acridine orange flow cytometry kit, which the authors say is not identical to the standard sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA). This was a single-centre study, and pregnancy and live birth were not assessed (Peng et al.). The UK regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, says sperm DNA fragmentation testing is not standardised. It says there is no agreement on what is a normal versus a high level, and that "high" is typically a DFI above 25% (HFEA). For the chance of having a baby after testing in male factor infertility, the regulator rates antioxidants grey. It also rates sperm selection by density gradient centrifugation or magnetic-activated cell sorting with ICSI or hyaluronan-binding PICSI grey. Testicular sperm (TESE or TESA) with ICSI is rated red (HFEA). For labs: at a 20% cut-off on this assay, these single-centre conventional IVF data suggest DFI says more about development after fertilisation than about whether oocytes fertilise. The authors say DFI should not be used alone to choose the insemination method; the study had no ICSI comparison (Peng et al.). Because assays and cut-offs are not standardised, it helps to name both on DFI reports. Labs that already test DFI could track Day 3 and blastocyst rates by DFI band, allowing for both partners' ages. Related reading: International IVF Initiative sessions on sperm DNA fragmentation and its impact on IVF outcomes and sperm genomic integrity. On IVF.net: Day 2 and Day 3 embryo assessment and blastocyst grading explained. Sources21 September 2026. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology Accessed 8 October 2026. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: ICSI, GnRH antagonist use and embryo handling linked to small rises in de novo mutations
IVF.net Newsdesk 06 October 2026
Children conceived through assisted reproduction carried slightly more de novo mutations than naturally conceived children, a study of 7,851 Chinese families has found. Specific treatment steps were linked to specific mutation types. ICSI was linked to paternal mutations and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist use to maternal mutations. In vitro embryo handling, particularly frozen blastocyst transfer, was linked to early mosaic mutations. Qin et al., 2026 For laboratories, that touches two routine decisions: when to use ICSI rather than conventional insemination, and extended culture to blastocyst. The open access study, by Qin and colleagues at Nanjing Medical University, was published in Nature Medicine on 7 August 2026. BioNews reported it on 5 October. BioNews The team used whole-genome sequencing on 8,328 live-born infants and both parents in the Jiangsu Birth Cohort. Of the families, 5,619 conceived naturally and 2,232 through IVF with or without ICSI. They identified 390,924 de novo single-nucleotide variants, changes present in a child but absent from both parents. Each extra year of paternal age was associated with 1.06 more paternal mutations, against 0.38 more maternal mutations per year of maternal age. Qin et al., 2026 After adjustment for parental age and infant sex, singletons conceived through assisted reproduction carried 2.48 more de novo mutations than naturally conceived singletons. The cohort-average standardised count was 61.61 per child. Almost half of the extra single-nucleotide variants (1.02 of 2.38) were early post-zygotic mosaic mutations, which arise in the embryo itself. Qin et al., 2026 Among births after assisted reproduction, ICSI was associated with about one more paternal variant than conventional IVF (beta 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 2.00, p=0.046). This borderline result held regardless of an oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) diagnosis. Against natural conception, paternal variants were not significantly higher after conventional IVF (beta 0.41, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.97). After ICSI they were (beta 1.58, 95% CI 0.74 to 2.43). Qin et al., 2026 In the same analysis, GnRH antagonist use was associated with 1.69 more maternal variants (95% CI 0.49 to 2.89), with a dose-response trend. The authors equate the ICSI and GnRH antagonist effects to 1.01 extra years of paternal ageing and 4.69 years of maternal ageing. Qin et al., 2026 Frozen blastocyst transfer was associated with 1.23 more early mosaic mutations than natural conception, and 0.81 more than fresh cleavage-stage transfer. C>A (cytosine-to-adenine) substitutions made up 13.45% of mosaic mutations after blastocyst transfer. That compared with 12.28% after cleavage-stage transfer and 11.95% after natural conception. Frozen transfers also showed a higher C>A share than natural conception (13.20%), but fresh transfers did not (12.04%), so culture length and freezing are not separated. Qin et al., 2026 The authors propose oxidative DNA damage during prolonged culture as a possible cause, a hypothesis supported by mutational signature analysis but not tested directly. Each additional C>A mosaic mutation was associated with higher odds of delayed neurocognitive development at one year (odds ratio 1.14, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.28). The overall mosaic mutation count was not significantly associated. Qin et al., 2026 In a mediation analysis, paternal mutations statistically accounted for a small share (3.99%, 95% CI 0.77 to 14%) of the shorter gestation seen after ICSI compared with natural conception. Parental mutation counts showed no significant association with birth defects or neurodevelopment at one year, which does not rule out small effects. The exception was functional variants in known congenital heart disease genes. Qin et al., 2026 The authors stress that the study is observational and residual confounding cannot be fully excluded. They describe the results as "population-level associations that generate biological insight rather than causal estimates or guidance for individual clinical decision-making". Qin et al., 2026 For laboratories, the absolute differences are small: about one to 2.5 extra mutations against a cohort average of 61.61 per child. Only 0.34% of de novo single-nucleotide variants (1,317 of 390,924) were functional coding changes. The paper adds a genomic angle to two current debates: routine ICSI without a male factor indication, and extended culture. Labs may wish to confirm a recorded indication for each ICSI case and keep culture QC tight. Auditing outcomes by insemination method and transfer stage may also help. Patients who ask can be told this is one observational cohort, and the authors say it should not guide individual clinical decisions. Related reading: IVF.net's report on ICSI use in US clinics against reported male factor infertility, and the International IVF Initiative session The Embryo in Culture: Imprinting, Oxidative Stress and Epigenetic Homeostasis. Sources7 August 2026. Nature Medicine 5 October 2026. BioNews IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: Laser-assisted hatching opening size and monozygotic multiples: non-significant trend after adjustment
IVF.net Newsdesk 06 October 2026
In a large Tokyo clinic series, a smaller laser-assisted hatching (LAH) opening was linked to higher odds of monozygotic (identical) multiple pregnancy. The link was not statistically significant after adjustment. The retrospective study, from Sugiyama Clinic and Juntendo University, was published online in Zygote on 30 September 2026. Moriyama et al., 2026 The team analysed 9,452 pregnancies from frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer between January 2020 and October 2024. Between January and May 2021 the LAH opening was enlarged from 30° to 90°, and the study compares pregnancies after the two opening sizes. A monozygotic multiple pregnancy was defined as two or more gestational sacs and/or fetuses after a single blastocyst transfer. Moriyama et al., 2026 Of the 9,452 pregnancies, 175 (1.85%) were monozygotic multiples: 169 twins and 6 triplets. The study found no significant differences in maternal age, fertilisation method, blastocyst grade, culture duration or biopsy rate between singleton and multiple pregnancies. The authors cite a leading hypothesis: the inner cell mass may divide as the blastocyst herniates through the zona, splitting the embryo. Moriyama et al., 2026 Unadjusted, the 30° opening had higher odds of a monozygotic multiple pregnancy than 90° (odds ratio 1.51, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 2.29, p=0.047). After adjustment for confounders, which the abstract does not list, the odds ratio was 1.47 (95% CI 0.98 to 2.22, p=0.06). The authors describe a trend that "warrants further investigation". Moriyama et al., 2026 The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK regulator, rates assisted hatching grey for most patients. That means there is insufficient moderate- or high-quality evidence that it raises the chance of a baby. It quotes NICE, which advises the NHS: "Assisted hatching is not recommended because it has not been shown to improve pregnancy rates." HFEA For laboratories, the result is not a reason to change protocol on its own. A comparison of two periods cannot separate opening size from other changes over time. It does support recording hatching method and opening size for every transferred embryo, and monitoring monozygotic multiples per clinical pregnancy after single embryo transfer. Patients can be told that single embryo transfer does not remove the chance of twins; here 1.85% of pregnancies were monozygotic multiples. Related reading: a 2024 review in Human Reproduction Update, Cellular mechanisms of monozygotic twinning: clues from assisted reproduction. Sources30 September 2026. Zygote Consulted 5 October 2026. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 1 December 2024. Human Reproduction Update IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: Great Britain to give employees leave after an unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer
IVF.net Newsdesk 03 October 2026
Employees in Great Britain will gain a legal right to leave after pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, the UK Government announced on 22 September. Its announcement defines pregnancy loss to include miscarriage, termination and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers. GOV.UK The Government says the changes will be made by secondary legislation next year and take effect in April 2027. BioNews notes that the expansion of bereavement leave was part of the Employment Rights Act 2025. The new right applies to Great Britain, so it does not cover Northern Ireland. BioNews Employees will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. It can be taken flexibly at any point within 56 weeks of the loss, including as single days. Leave taken in the first eight weeks needs only notice "as soon as is reasonably practicable". The Government states that "no one will be asked or required to provide evidence of their loss". GOV.UK According to BioNews, the right also covers the partner, the other biological parent and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement. Failed IUI, and IVF cycles that end before an embryo is transferred, fall outside the new right, although BioNews reports the Government recognises that these losses may also bring grief. BioNews "No one should have to fight for time to grieve," said Kate Dearden, Minister for the Future of Work. Vicki Robinson, Chief Executive of Miscarriage UK, welcomed the announcement that the leave "will become law in April 2027". GOV.UK From April 2027, employment law in Great Britain will recognise an unsuccessful transfer as a loss in its own right. Because no evidence is required, patients should not need a letter from their clinic, though some may still ask for one. Patient information and post-transfer support should mention the new right and where its boundaries lie, including that it does not extend to Northern Ireland. Clinics are also employers, so HR policies for staff going through treatment will need updating too. Sources22 September 2026. GOV.UK 28 September 2026. BioNews IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: Segmental mosaic embryos, PGT-M recombination and Day 5 vs Day 6 blastocysts
IVF.net Newsdesk 03 October 2026
Three recent papers in the journals of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) bear directly on embryo testing and selection, from segmental mosaic embryos to Day 6 blastocysts. ASRM highlighted all three in its October round-up. ASRM Segmental aneuploidy is often mosaic, and often paternal. Al Hashimi and colleagues, with Darren Griffin as senior author, re-examined 105 blastocysts from 86 couples. All had been flagged with a segmental abnormality at preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) (Fertility and Sterility, September 2026). Each embryo was analysed in three samples: the original trophectoderm biopsy, a second trophectoderm biopsy and the inner cell mass. Although the original biopsy called all of them non-mosaic, 81% (85 of 105) gave discordant results across the three samples, consistent with mosaicism. Only 19% were concordant. Errors of paternal origin were found in 49.5% of embryos (52 of 105), and of maternal origin in 38% (40 of 105), and more than half showed evidence of meiotic origin. Multi-sample analysis changed the inferred chromosomal status of 37.1% of the flagged embryos. Al Hashimi et al., 2026 A case of meiotic recombination seen through PGT-M. Iversen and colleagues report a woman carrying pathogenic variants for two X-linked conditions on the same X chromosome (F&S Reports, August 2026). The conditions are ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency and steroid sulfatase (STS) deficiency. With preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic conditions (PGT-M), 9 of 13 embryos (69%) inherited both variants or neither, as expected. The other 4 (31%) carried only one, suggestive of meiotic recombination between the two genes, which lie about 31 Mb apart. She transferred a euploid female embryo at low risk for both variants and delivered a healthy term girl; she declined prenatal diagnostic testing. The authors warn that recombination "may lead to unanticipated results when using PGT-M to screen embryos for multiple monogenic conditions" on the same chromosome. Iversen et al., 2026 Day 5 and Day 6 blastocysts differ only subtly. Ortega-Jaén, Capalbo, De los Santos and colleagues sequenced RNA from the mural trophectoderm of 21 blastocysts from 16 couples. Thirteen reached the blastocyst stage on Day 5 and eight on Day 6 (F&S Science, July 2026). They found 111 differentially expressed genes, with Day 5 embryos enriched for translation, metabolism and cell adhesion pathways. The overall gene expression profiles largely overlapped, and the authors read the differences as developmental timing rather than distinct functional states. Ortega-Jaén et al., 2026 For laboratories, a single biopsy call of a segmental abnormality is a weak basis on its own for deciding an embryo's fate. These results should inform how segmental findings are reported, counselled and handled in the lab's embryo disposition policy. Testing for two conditions on the same chromosome needs test design and genetic counselling that plan for recombination. The Day 5 and Day 6 study is small and measured gene expression only, not clinical outcomes, so it should not change transfer policy on its own. Mª José De los Santos also speaks at the next International IVF Initiative session, Beyond the Bench, on 13 October. SourcesSeptember 2026. Fertility and Sterility 11 August 2026. F&S Reports 13 July 2026. F&S Science 1 October 2026. ASRM IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: ICSI use in US clinics far exceeds reported male factor infertility, national data show
IVF.net Newsdesk 03 October 2026
ICSI use in US clinics far exceeds the rate of reported male factor infertility, a national clinic-level analysis finds. It was published open access in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics on 29 September 2026. J Assist Reprod Genet Desposorio and Stansbury examined data reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 2021 and 2022, covering 751 clinic-years from 399 clinics. Median intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) use was 87.8% of cycles. Median reported male factor infertility was 27.7%. ICSI use exceeded the clinic's own male factor rate in 97.9% of clinic-years. Desposorio and Stansbury, 2026 Clinics with higher use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) tended to have a larger gap between their ICSI and male factor rates (Spearman rho 0.312, a modest positive correlation). The authors note that these ecological data cannot establish cause and describe the findings as hypothesis-generating. The two figures also use different denominators, so they show clinic patterns, not inappropriate use in individual cycles. For laboratories, the reasons for routine ICSI are familiar: avoiding total fertilisation failure, and simplifying scheduling. Some labs also use it to keep cumulus cell and extraneous sperm DNA out of PGT samples, a concern the authors note has lessened for PGT-A with current protocols. A 2021 multicentre randomised trial of 1,064 couples, cited by the authors, did not show a live birth benefit for ICSI over conventional insemination in non-male factor cases. ICSI also adds operator time, cost and an invasive step. If your ICSI rate sits far above your male factor rate, can you name the indication for each case? For more on embryo testing, see IVF.net's report on the latest PGT-A systematic review. Sources29 September 2026. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
News: Cryostorage tank monitoring: fewer than one in ten Japanese fertility facilities have alarms
IVF.net Newsdesk 03 October 2026
Only 9.7% of responding Japanese fertility facilities have alarms on their cryostorage tanks, a nationwide survey finds. Routine liquid nitrogen checks are near-universal, but planning for sudden tank failure is patchy. The study was published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics on 29 September 2026. J Assist Reprod Genet Mizuno and colleagues surveyed 622 Japanese fertility facilities, with a 56.6% response rate. Of those that responded, 92.1% checked liquid nitrogen levels weekly or more often, most by direct level measurement (72.2%). Only 9.7% had alarm systems installed on their storage tanks. Procedures for responding to tank failure were established at 45.2%, and only 30.4% had considered responses aimed specifically at preventing specimen loss. Mizuno et al., 2026 Citing limited preparedness for rapid liquid nitrogen loss due to vacuum insulation failure, the authors call for detailed guidelines and standardised operating procedures for cryostorage tank management. For laboratories, a weekly level check shows the tank was fine at that moment. Vacuum failure can empty a dewar far faster, which is why many labs add continuous monitoring with remote alerting. Labs anywhere can use this survey as a checklist. Is every tank monitored? Does the alarm reach a person out of hours? Has the escalation been tested? Is there a written SOP for vacuum failure and rapid nitrogen loss, and have staff drilled it? Is there a spare tank with nitrogen ready to receive specimens? Sources29 September 2026. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
Webinar: IVF laboratory management webinar on 13 October: Beyond the Bench
IVF.net Newsdesk 03 October 2026
The next International IVF Initiative session, Session 176, Beyond the Bench: Managing the Modern IVF Laboratory, takes place on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at 3pm EDT / 8pm BST / 9pm CEST (19:00 UTC). It treats the IVF laboratory as a managed system as well as a bench science. International IVF Initiative Alana Streisfield and Dr Daniela Braga moderate three talks:
A live Q&A follows the talks. The sponsors are Labintelix by Shivani Scientific, FertilAI and Matcher/Reprotech. Zoom registration For laboratory teams, the themes map onto everyday work: linking daily QC readings and KPIs to outcomes, and judging where AI tools fit. The third is keeping witnessing and traceability robust at every step where gametes and embryos are handled. Register for the webinar on Zoom. Sources13 October 2026. International IVF Initiative
IVF.net Newsdesk articles are written from the original sources listed above. If you spot an error, please contact IVF.net and we will correct it. [ Full Article ]
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