Sean Lauber: 0PN Embryos in IVF, What Does the Latest Evidence Tell Us?
Sean Lauber, Healthcare newsletter writer at SmartBrief, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Researchers combined the results of 9 studies and found that embryos from 0PN zygotes had similar pregnancy outcomes to embryos from normally fertilized (2PN) zygotes, despite being less likely to develop into blastocysts.
In IVF, fertilization is confirmed by seeing two pronuclei (2PN) in the fertilized egg (zygote) a day after insemination. Because these structures are only visible briefly, some normally fertilized zygotes may be mistakenly classified as 0PN (no visible pronuclei).
Chan et al. (2026) performed a meta-analysis and combined the results of 9 studies to see how embryos from 0PN zygotes compare to normally fertilized 2PN zygotes.
They found that embryos from 0PN zygotes that reach the blastocyst stage have pregnancy outcomes similar to embryos from 2PN zygotes, although they’re less likely to develop into blastocysts in the first place.
One possible explanation is that some 0PN zygotes are actually ‘false’ 0PNs, which are normally fertilized zygotes whose pronuclei formed or disappeared outside the standard 16–18 hour fertilization check.
They also compared IVF- and ICSI-derived 0PN zygotes. Pregnancy outcomes were lower for embryos from IVF-derived 0PN zygotes, but not ICSI-derived 0PN zygotes.
This may be because IVF-derived 0PN zygotes are more likely to include embryos resulting from polyspermy (fertilization by more than one sperm), although the subgroups were smaller and this finding should be interpreted with caution, the authors note.
Check out more details on Remembryo.
Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research.”
Stay updated on all scientific advances in the field of fertility with Fertility News.
-
Nov 2, 2026, 17:08Elena Milner: The 2nd Class of the School of Embryology Is Already in Full Swing
-
Nov 2, 2026, 17:05November Is National Diabetes Month – PCOS Awareness Association
-
Nov 2, 2026, 17:04Thanos Papathanasiou: Are We Preparing Patients for the IVF Cycle, or for the IVF Journey?
-
Nov 2, 2026, 17:02Anna Morales: Why Is It So Hard to Build in Women’s Health?
-
Nov 2, 2026, 16:59Rickard Ericsson: Honored to Take on the Role of Interim CEO of the Vitrolife Group
-
Nov 2, 2026, 16:56Mohammed Nasur: 1 Small Simulation, A Bigger Purpose
-
Nov 2, 2026, 16:54Carlos Guerrero: Presenting Our Latest Research on AI and Embryo Assessment at ASRM 2026
-
Nov 2, 2026, 16:52Sarah Lewen: My 1st ASRM Is Officially Complete
-
Nov 2, 2026, 16:49Jemma Garratt: Taking on the Role of Kind IVF and Data Science Manager at London Women’s Clinic