[1] Assessment of morphological features as a reliable non-invasive method that provides valuable information in prediction of IVF/intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcome has been frequently used as a scoring system of the embryo quality.
Cytoplasm aspect: the presence of vesicles on day 3 is considered a sign of embryo genome activation and, therefore, of good prognosis.
As of 2014, time-lapse microscopy for embryo quality assessment is emerging from the experimental stage to something with enough evidence for broader clinical use.
[3][4] Studies using the EmbryoScope (tm) time-lapse incubator have used several indicators for embryo quality, such as direct cleavage from 1 to 3 cells,[5] as well as the initiation of compaction and start of blastulation.
[10] The presence of soluble HLA-G might be considered as another parameter if a choice has to be made between embryos of equal visible quality.
Two examples of proteins that may be included in maternal profiling are endometrium-derived stathmin and annexin A2, whose down- and up-regulation, respectively, are associated with higher rates of successful implantation.
[10] A systematic review and meta-analysis of existing randomized controlled trials came to the result that there is no evidence of a beneficial effect of PGP as measured by live birth rate.
Comprehensive chromosome analysis methods include array-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), quantitative PCR and SNP arrays.
[13] In addition to screening for specific abnormalities, techniques are in development that can avail for up to full genome sequencing, from which genetic profiling can score the DNA patterns by comparing with ones that have previously been found among embryos in successful or unsuccessful pregnancies.
On the other hand, a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing randomized controlled trials came to the result that there is no evidence of a beneficial effect of PGP as measured by live birth rate.