PhD defence L. (Linette) van Duijn

Summary:

Research shows that most pregnancy complications occur in the periconception period, defined as 14 weeks prior to conception to 10 weeks after. During this period, important processes such as sperm and egg maturation, fertilization, implantation, embryo development and placenta construction take place. Disruption of the biological environment in which these processes take place can have a lifelong effect on the health of the unborn child. This dissertation focuses on the influence of maternal obesity and various factors of IVF/ICSI treatment on periconceptional outcomes. 

The results from this dissertation suggest an adverse impact of higher maternal BMI on periconceptional outcomes in humans. For example, early embryonic development during IVF/ICSI treatment, even before implantation, is slower in embryos from obese women than in embryos from normal-weight women. A similar effect is seen in the first trimester of pregnancy; female embryos from obese women grow more slowly than female embryos from normal-weight women.

This dissertation also shows that embryonic growth, both before implantation and in the first trimester of pregnancy, differs between culture media. In addition, it describes that embryos frozen prior to transfer grow as fast as embryos transferred directly. Placental development is also similar between these two groups. 

In conclusion, optimizing environments in which periconceptional processes occur is an investment that will ultimately benefit the health of current and future generations.