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Early Spontaneous Twinning Recorded By Time-Lapse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2023

Roberto Matorras ,
Alberto Vendrell Open the ORCID record for Alberto Vendrell [Opens in a new window] ,
Marcos Ferrando  and
Zaloa Larreategui
Roberto Matorras
Affiliation:
IVI Bilbao, Lejona, Spain Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties, Cruces University Hospital, Basque Country University, Baracaldo, Spain Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Baracaldo, Spain
Alberto Vendrell*
Affiliation:
Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Baracaldo, Spain
Marcos Ferrando
Affiliation:
IVI Bilbao, Lejona, Spain
Zaloa Larreategui
Affiliation:
IVI Bilbao, Lejona, Spain
*
Corresponding author: Alberto Vendrell; Email: alberto.venber@gmail.com
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Abstract

Monozygotic twins (MZT) are 2.5 times more frequent in ART than in natural conceptions. A number of ART-related mechanisms have been probably linked with MZT. Studies that retrospectively analyze the time-lapse (TL) records resulting in MZT suggest that some morphokinetic traits of the inner cell mass and the trophectoderm could be predictors of MZT, but results are controversial. We present the complete TL record of one case of MZT that split itself at the very moment of the division into two cells, with one of the cells coming out through a hole in the zona pellucida (ZP). Both resulting embryos developed normally, and were vitrified. It is suggested that the hole in the ZP may facilitate the extrusion of some cells of the <day 4 embryo and that this cell development is not constrained by being inside the ZP. Despite the lack of the inhibition of the ZP itself or the influence of the other embryo cells, the totipotent cell was then able to develop correctly from the start. Moreover, the embryo inside the ZP compensated for the loss of this cell apparently without problems. Our findings are discussed in the context of previous literature and ethical problems are addressed.

Keywords

Blastocystcleavage–stage embryoembryo splittingembryonic developmentmonozygotic twinstime-lapse recording
Type
Article
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , June 2023 , pp. 215 - 218
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Society for Twin Studies

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