The Effects of Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) on Patient-Important Outcomes in Embryo Transfer Cases: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) on patient-important reproductive outcomes after in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: Randomized and non-randomized studies have been sought in Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials since each database’s inception through May 2021. Main keywords used for the search strategy included “Embryo transfer”, “In vitro fertilization”, “DNA sequencing”, and “Comparative genome hybridization”. Studies were screened independently and in duplicate. RESULTS: Ten studies were finally analyzed, representing a total of 2630 embryo transfers. The pooled OR for live birth rates were 1.45 (95%CI 0.24–8.78, I(2) 96%) and 1.66 (95%PI 0.15–18.01, 95%CI 0.98–2.83, I(2) 81%) derived from the NRSIs and the RCTs, respectively, in which the miscarriage rate were 1.25 (95%CI 0.19–8.33, I(2) 70%) and 0.57 (95%PI 0.06–5.34, 95%CI 0.27–1.21, I(2) 53%), and clinical pregnancy rates were 3.08 (95%CI 2.22–4.29, I(2) 0%) and 1.43 (95%PI 0.38–5.42, 95%CI 0.96–2.13, I(2) 68%). Influence analyses showed a greater treatment effect when excluding studies without patients at advanced maternal age. CONCLUSION: There seems to be no significant difference in reproductive outcomes when using PGT-A in the general population; however, the procedure seems advantageous for patients at advanced maternal age. Nevertheless, this warrants caution when recommending the procedure to all couples seeking ART, as the current possible benefits may not justify the additional costs for all groups of patients.