Highlights from ASRM’s 81st annual meeting (2025)

This post provides a short summary of select news releases/studies from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2025 meeting in Texas. These studies may not have been published or peer reviewed yet.

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Press releases from ASRM 2025

These are stories that were picked up by the media that covered presentations during the conference.

Segmental Aneuploid Embryos Still Have Reproductive Potential. Researchers examined 176 single frozen transfers in a double-blinded nonselection study and found that segmental aneuploid embryos can implant and lead to live births, though outcomes were about half as good as embryos without segmental errors (27.3% vs 60% live birth per transfer). Check out the full story on Contemporary OBGYN.

PCOS Treatment Combo Improves Quality of Life. Researchers reviewed outcomes from 240 women with PCOS and found that combining metformin with oral contraceptives led to the most consistent improvements in health-related quality of life, including anxiety and several PCOS symptom domains. Mental health and sexual function were generally maintained across treatments, supporting this common combination as a patient-centered option. Check out the full story on Medscape.

Insurance Coverage Drives Egg Freezing Decisions. A 10-year review of more than 4000 planned egg freezing consults showed that having any fertility-preservation coverage made patients nearly seven times more likely to proceed, while racial gaps disappeared after adjusting for coverage. This reinforces that cost is the primary barrier, and not biology. Check out the full story on MedPage Today.

Egg Donors May Face Different Protocols Across Banks. Two national SART CORS analyses found significant variation in gonadotropin dosing and egg yield depending on which commercial egg bank handled the cycle and whether donation was intended for fresh or frozen use. The results suggest donor treatment is not uniform, emphasizing a need for lowest-effective-dose protocols and further study. Check out the full story on MedPage Today.

Private Equity Keeps Expanding in Fertility Care. An analysis of CDC ART data found that state laws meant to limit corporate control have not slowed private equity involvement, with about 28% of U.S. IVF clinics affiliated with private equity and an increasing percentage over 2011-2022. Check out the full story on MedPage Today.

IV Ketorolac Cuts Pain and Opioid Use After Egg Retrieval. In a randomized trial of 400 patients, a single infusion of ketorolac (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for moderate to severe surgical pain) reduced the need for narcotics and lowered pain scores after retrieval, without affecting oocyte yield or early fertility outcomes. Check out the full story on MedPage Today.

Egg Freezing Success Drops Steadily After 35. A large retrospective cohort found that for women who froze eggs at 35 or older, the chance of having at least one live birth declined every year, from about 49% at ages 35–37 to just 13% over age 42. Check out the full story on MedPage Today.

Selected abstracts for oral presentation from ASRM 2025

Here’s a collection of abstract summaries from the meeting, along with links to the full abstract so you can read more about it. There were about 1000 oral presentations and posters at ASRM 2025, and these are the ones that seem particularly interesting. You can access the full list here.

🔓 Free members see the top 10 summaries. Paid members see all 30. Subscribe here.

1. This randomized controlled trial found that G-CSF priming before IVF in patients with poor ovarian reserve improved embryo development, increased AMH levels, and led to higher cumulative live birth rates compared with no priming. Read more (abstract only)
2. This retrospective cohort study comparing 6,826 embryos found that culture in Vitrolife Gx media produced higher euploidy rates and lower whole chromosome aneuploidy rates than Global Total, potentially due to the inclusion of antioxidants. Read more (abstract only)
3. This prospective randomized controlled trial found that AI assisted embryo selection performed as well as traditional embryo grading based selection for achieving clinical pregnancy. Read more (abstract only)
4. This retrospective study reported that none of the 21 aneuploid embryos transferred produced a live birth, while mosaic embryos and euploid embryos resulted in live births, highlighting the minimal success rate of aneuploid transfers compared with mosaic and euploid embryos. Read more (abstract only)
5. This retrospective analysis of 94 mosaic embryo transfers found that low level mosaicism involving chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X, or Y led to a 44.7% clinical pregnancy rate and 18 healthy deliveries, with no confirmed chromosomal abnormalities on prenatal testing, suggesting these embryos may be usable when no euploid options remain. Read more (abstract only)
6. This retrospective multicenter study of 75,389 PGT-A tested blastocysts found that extending culture to day 7 contributed about 7% of all euploid embryos across SART age groups, indicating that stopping culture on day 6 would have reduced the number of usable embryos. Read more (abstract only)
7. This large retrospective matched cohort study found that IVF patients who received nutrition counseling had higher numbers of mature oocytes, useable blastocysts, and euploid embryos, with additional gains seen in those attending multiple consultations. Read more (abstract only)
8. This retrospective study found that 39.9% of 92 embryos labeled chaotic by PGT-A were reclassified as euploid after re biopsy, and among the 12 transferred, 91.7% implanted and 66.7% resulted in live births, suggesting some chaotic calls may be false positives. Read more (abstract only)
9. This retrospective cohort study found that autologous fresh IVF cycles in women 45 and older resulted in low success, with only 16 live births among 1110 cycle starts and no live births at ages 47 and above, and success occurring only when at least four oocytes were retrieved. Read more (abstract only)
10. This retrospective study of 1,614 women with thin endometrium found a cumulative live birth rate of 43.3% after up to six transfers and showed that depot GnRH agonist stimulation produced higher cumulative pregnancy and live birth rates than the antagonist protocol. Read more (abstract only)

🔒 Want to keep reading? I’ve summarized and linked an additional 20 ASRM abstracts below, with about half especially relevant for the IVF lab.

 

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About Embryoman

Embryoman (Sean Lauber) is a former embryologist and the founder of Remembryo, an IVF research and fertility education website. After working in an IVF lab in the US, he returned to Canada and now focuses on making fertility research more accessible. He holds a Master’s in Immunology and launched Remembryo in 2018 to help patients and professionals make sense of IVF research. Sean shares weekly study updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit regularly. He also answers questions on Reddit or in his private Facebook group.

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