News | King’s College London Study: Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A) May Help Women Over 35 Have a Baby Sooner
A clinical trial conducted by King’s College London, King’s College Hospital, and King’s Fertility found that preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) may help women over 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) achieve pregnancy and live birth sooner.
This was the world’s first randomized controlled trial specifically involving women aged 35–42. This group is more likely to produce chromosomally abnormal embryos during IVF, increasing the risk of implantation failure or miscarriage.
Study Design and Innovation
The trial was conducted at King’s Fertility from June 2021 to June 2023 and included 100 women receiving assisted reproductive treatment. Fifty underwent PGT-A, and 50 formed the control group. Unlike previous studies, the trial included mosaic embryos, which contain both normal and abnormal cells. These embryos are common in clinical practice but were often excluded from earlier research.
Current guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend routine PGT-A because previous research focused mainly on younger women, whose embryos have lower rates of chromosomal abnormalities and therefore showed limited overall benefit. As more women try to conceive at older ages, this evidence gap needs to be addressed.
Main Findings
The results showed:
Across three transfer cycles, the cumulative live-birth rate was 72% in the PGT-A group, compared with 52% in the control group.
Patients in the PGT-A group required fewer transfers on average to become pregnant, reducing time to pregnancy and the emotional and physical burden of waiting and unsuccessful attempts.
Because of the limited sample size, the difference did not reach statistical significance, but the trend indicated a clear potential benefit. The team recommends confirmation in a larger, multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Expert Interpretation
First author Yusuf Beebeejaun, PhD, of King’s College London and King’s Fertility, said:
“Our study suggests that PGT-A for women over 35 may help them have a baby sooner while reducing the psychological strain of repeated unsuccessful attempts.”
Co-author Sesh Sunkara, PhD, of King’s College London added:
“This study not only focused on older women but also included mosaic embryos, an area rarely covered previously. Improving treatment efficiency and reducing time to pregnancy and live birth would directly ease the physical and emotional burden on older patients.”
Ippokratis Sarris, PhD, director of King’s Fertility, emphasized:
“This landmark trial was led entirely by our team, from patient recruitment to laboratory procedures at King’s Fertility. We will pursue a larger multicenter study to provide more precise reproductive care for older women.”
Background and Significance
More women are choosing to start families after age 35, when higher rates of embryonic chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage present added challenges. PGT-A screens embryos for abnormal chromosome numbers before transfer, helping select embryos with greater potential and improving treatment efficiency.
Routine use of PGT-A remains controversial, but this study provides new evidence of its value in older women. If future multicenter research confirms its effectiveness, it could support updated international reproductive guidelines and shorten treatment for more older patients.
News | King’s College London Study: Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A) May Help Women Over 35 Have a Baby Sooner
News | King’s College London Study: Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A) May Help Women Over 35 Have a Baby Sooner
A clinical trial conducted by King’s College London, King’s College Hospital, and King’s Fertility found that preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) may help women over 35 undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) achieve pregnancy and live birth sooner.
This was the world’s first randomized controlled trial specifically involving women aged 35–42. This group is more likely to produce chromosomally abnormal embryos during IVF, increasing the risk of implantation failure or miscarriage.
Study Design and Innovation
The trial was conducted at King’s Fertility from June 2021 to June 2023 and included 100 women receiving assisted reproductive treatment. Fifty underwent PGT-A, and 50 formed the control group. Unlike previous studies, the trial included mosaic embryos, which contain both normal and abnormal cells. These embryos are common in clinical practice but were often excluded from earlier research.
Current guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend routine PGT-A because previous research focused mainly on younger women, whose embryos have lower rates of chromosomal abnormalities and therefore showed limited overall benefit. As more women try to conceive at older ages, this evidence gap needs to be addressed.
Main Findings
The results showed:
Across three transfer cycles, the cumulative live-birth rate was 72% in the PGT-A group, compared with 52% in the control group.
Patients in the PGT-A group required fewer transfers on average to become pregnant, reducing time to pregnancy and the emotional and physical burden of waiting and unsuccessful attempts.
Because of the limited sample size, the difference did not reach statistical significance, but the trend indicated a clear potential benefit. The team recommends confirmation in a larger, multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Expert Interpretation
First author Yusuf Beebeejaun, PhD, of King’s College London and King’s Fertility, said:
“Our study suggests that PGT-A for women over 35 may help them have a baby sooner while reducing the psychological strain of repeated unsuccessful attempts.”
Co-author Sesh Sunkara, PhD, of King’s College London added:
“This study not only focused on older women but also included mosaic embryos, an area rarely covered previously. Improving treatment efficiency and reducing time to pregnancy and live birth would directly ease the physical and emotional burden on older patients.”
Ippokratis Sarris, PhD, director of King’s Fertility, emphasized:
“This landmark trial was led entirely by our team, from patient recruitment to laboratory procedures at King’s Fertility. We will pursue a larger multicenter study to provide more precise reproductive care for older women.”
Background and Significance
More women are choosing to start families after age 35, when higher rates of embryonic chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage present added challenges. PGT-A screens embryos for abnormal chromosome numbers before transfer, helping select embryos with greater potential and improving treatment efficiency.
Routine use of PGT-A remains controversial, but this study provides new evidence of its value in older women. If future multicenter research confirms its effectiveness, it could support updated international reproductive guidelines and shorten treatment for more older patients.
Story source:
Collected online