Paternal body mass index is associated with decreased blastocyst development and reduced live birth rates following assisted reproductive technology

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between paternal body mass index (BMI), embryo development and pregnancy, and live birth outcomes after assisted reproductive technology (ART). DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of ART cycles. SETTING: Major assisted reproduction center. PATIENT(S): Three hundred five couples undergoing ART in a private fertility clinic. INTERVENTION(S): No intervention was undertaken in patients involved in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Live birth outcomes and clinical pregnancy rates. RESULT(S): No significant relationship between paternal BMI and early embryo development was found. However, increased paternal BMI was associated with decreased blastocyst development, clinical pregnancy rates and live birth outcomes. CONCLUSION(S): To our knowledge, this is the first report linking increased paternal BMI and clinical pregnancy and live birth rates after ART treatment. Further work to elucidate the mechanisms involved is required.