A new study led by embryologist Mario Fernández from IVF-Life Donostia has shown that a higher degree of embryo fragmentation on the third day of development could reduce the chances of an embryo being euploid, that is, having the normal number of chromosomes. This research was selected for presentation at the 2025 ASEBIR Congress, to be held in November.
During the first days, embryos may release cellular fragments, a phenomenon known as fragmentation. Although it is known that high fragmentation can hinder the embryo’s progression to the blastocyst stage, until now it had not been clear how this fragmentation affects the final chromosomal composition of the embryo.

The retrospective study analyzed 332 embryos obtained from donor-egg cycles, all biopsied for PGT-A (preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy). The embryos were classified into groups based on the percentage of fragmentation observed on day 3: less than or equal to 10%, between 11% and 25%, and greater than 25%.
The results showed that while 73% of embryos with low fragmentation (≤10%) were euploid, the proportion of euploid embryos dropped to 64% with moderate fragmentation (11–25%) and to 52% when fragmentation exceeded 25%. In practical terms, the likelihood of an embryo being aneuploid (with chromosomal abnormalities) is 2.5 times higher when fragmentation is elevated.
“These data confirm that day-3 fragmentation can be an important indicator for embryo selection, especially in egg donation cycles where no prior chromosomal analysis is performed,” explains embryologist Mario Fernández. He adds that “this finding can help assisted reproduction specialists make more informed decisions when selecting embryos for uterine transfer, thereby improving the chances of success in fertility treatments.”