The Defective Embryo That Could Be Your Baby – Fertility Plus
Fertility Plus shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The ‘Defective’ Embryo That Could Be Your Baby’
(or: ‘IVF Labs Have Been Throwing Away Viable Embryos — New Research Changes Everything’)
When an egg is fertilised, one of the first things scientists look for is the number of ‘pronuclei’ — tiny circular structures that appear inside the embryo in the first 24 hours. Two pronuclei (called 2PN) is textbook perfect. One pronucleus (1PN) has traditionally been flagged as abnormal, and for decades most labs have simply discarded these embryos without a second thought.
But a landmark new study — analysing nearly 300,000 embryos — has found that some 1PN embryos are chromosomally normal, can develop into healthy blastocysts, and can result in live births. The old ‘discard by default’ rule appears to have been throwing away real chances of a baby for patients who had nothing else left.
The key insight: with modern genetic testing (specifically SNP-based PGT-A, which is more detailed than standard genetic screening), clinicians can now look inside a 1PN embryo, rule out rare risks like molar , and identify those that are genuinely viable. It’s not about lowering standards — it’s about using better tools to make smarter decisions.
The headline finding from 291,000 embryos: the number of pronuclei is a guide, not a verdict.
T. Lee, F. Qi, K. Peirce, J. Natalwala, V. Chapple, P.J. Mark, K. Sanders, and Y. Liu
- Title: To discard or not to discard 1PNs? A systematic review and meta-analysis on 291,474 embryos
- Journal: Reproductive BioMedicine Online (RBMO)
- Publication Date/Volume: Volume 52, Issue 2, 2026″
Stay updated on all scientific advances in the field of fertility with Fertility News.
-
May 24, 2026, 19:45Danielle Uses Her Voice and Story to Help Create Change – Preeclampsia Foundation
-
May 24, 2026, 19:42Jakub Dejewski: Looking Back at The Fertility Show at Olympia London
-
May 24, 2026, 09:50Sima Alnamoora: Day 5 Early Hatching Blastocyst Captured During IVF Cycle Monitoring
-
May 24, 2026, 07:29Lucile Ferreux: The Hidden Reality of Male Fertility, Have You Ever Had a Spermiogram?
-
May 24, 2026, 07:25Cesar Fertility Newsletter Highlights Lifestyle Impact on Male Fertility Awareness – Cesar Fertility
-
May 24, 2026, 07:21Carla Wicks: Understanding Racial Differences in Endometriosis Care Pathways
-
May 24, 2026, 07:14Why Do French Men Go 20 to 30 Years Without Any Genital Examination? – Cesar Fertility
-
May 24, 2026, 07:11Lucile Ferreux: Sperm Racing Event Sparks Debate on Male Fertility Awareness and Scientific Accuracy
-
May 24, 2026, 07:08Unlocking the Black Box of Implantation Failure with Multi-Dimensional AI in IVF – Santaan Fertility Center and Research Institute