Evaluation of the Association Between the DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) and the Frequency of Segmental and Total Aneuploidies

IVF is the most commonly employed form of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for the 10-15% of couples who face difficulties becoming pregnant. Many individuals elect to have their IVF-derived embryos analyzed using pregenetic implantation testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A). The use of PGT-A is particularly beneficial for patients at higher risk for aneuploidy, such as those of advanced maternal age and those faced with recurrent pregnancy loss or recurrent implantation failure.

Segmental aneuploidies are generated when a small piece of a chromosome is gained or lost during cell division, resulting in subchromosomal copy number (CN) changes. The frequency of segmental aneuploidies during the cleavage stage varies between studies, from as low as 3.9% to 15% and up to 70 % with no reported correlation with maternal age. This can be explained by the fact that, unlike whole chromosome aneuploidies, segmental aneuploidies most often involve paternally inherited chromosomes.