Hereโs your IVF research roundup for April 2026. Each month, I highlight everything Iโve shared on Remembryo โ including new IVF study summaries, popular social posts, answers to community questions, and a full list of research highlights with links and short summaries from my newsletter. The paywall is off for this post.
๐ฌ Like this roundup?
Get IVF research summaries, news highlights, and weekly subscriber-only content straight to your inbox.
Subscribe to the Remembryo Newsletter โ
๐ Original studies are referenced in this post or within the linked Remembryo posts.
๐ก Reminder: Terms underlined with a dotted black line are linked to glossary entries. Clicking these does not count toward your paywall limit.
Remembryo posts
Hereโs what I covered this month on Remembryo. Click any image to read more.
A 2026 study found that infertility is traumatic for some patients, with 9% meeting criteria for PTSD and 32% for complex PTSD, and patient narratives highlight distress, loss of control, and gaps in care. Read more.
Researchers in a 2026 guideline review provide evidence-based recommendations from ESHRE on ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI, covering protocols, medications, monitoring, and safety. Read more.
A 2026 study found that low ฮฒ-hCG levels (โค50 mIU/mL at 9 days after blastocyst transfer) were linked to much lower live birth rates, and that how hCG rises over time is more predictive of outcome than the initial value. Read more.
Research in a 2026 study found that bacteria detected on the embryo transfer catheter were linked to lower live birth rates, likely reflecting the patientโs own microbiome being carried into the uterus during transfer. Read more.
A 2026 review explored why endometriosis surgery doesnโt always lead to pregnancy, highlighting factors like recurrence, undetected lesions, and underlying biological processes that arenโt addressed by surgery. Read more.
A 2026 meta-analysis explored ways to optimize natural FETs, examining ovulation timing, progesterone use, luteinized unruptured follicles, and cycle variability across natural, modified natural, and newer natural proliferative phase approaches. Read more.
Top viewed posts on social
Here you can see the top 3 most popular posts for the month on Instagram, excluding the posts from above.
- Study finds CoQ10 boosts egg yield but not pregnancy rates. A randomized trial in women with poor ovarian response found that CoQ10 increased the number of retrieved, mature, and fertilized oocytes, but did not improve clinical pregnancy rates.ย Read more onย Instagramย or the original publication in Drug Design, Development and Therapy.
- Zymot improved sperm DNA, but not pregnancy rates. A randomized trial found that while Zymot reduced sperm DNA fragmentation more than standard density gradient centrifugation, this didnโt lead to improvements in fertilization, embryo quality, pregnancy, or live birth rates. The study was small and included mixed DNA fragmentation levels, so it may not reflect outcomes in patients with high fragmentation specifically. Read more onย Instagramย or the original publication on JBRA Assisted Reproduction.
- Factors that affect IVF success in unexplained infertility. A study of over 5,000 couples with unexplained infertility found a cumulative live birth rate of 62.2% per IVF/ICSI cycle, with success mainly driven by female age, ovarian reserve, and the number of eggs and embryos available. Other factors like higher BMI, thinner endometrium, and possibly male age were linked to lower success. Read more onย Instagramย or the original publication in Reproductive Medicine and Biology.
And hereโs the top 3 older Remembryo posts (based on Instagram story views). Click any image to read more.
A 2025 study suggests that most patients with recurrent pregnancy loss who transfer up to 3 euploid embryos go on to have a live birth, though data from later transfers are limited. Read more.
A small 2025 study found that most pregnancies show detectable hCG by day 6 after a blastocyst transfer, and those that first become positive on day 8โ10 have higher rates of biochemical and ectopic pregnancy and a lower chance of ongoing pregnancy. Read more.
A 2024 meta-analysis combined the results of 20 studies, showing that supplements improved IVF outcomes in women with ovarian aging, especially CoQ10. Read more.
IVF in the news highlights
Each week in the Remembryo newsletter, I share IVF-related stories that made headlines in the news. Below are 3 leading headlines for the month:
- Study finds AI often wrong on medical questions (NBC News)
- Genetic study sheds light on causes of severe pregnancy nausea (MedicalXpress)
- Startup claims lab-grown sperm from stem cells (ZME Science)
๐ก Enjoying this summary?
Join 10,000+ readers who stay updated on IVF research each week:
Sign up here โ
IVF questions from the community
Here are select questions that I answered either in my Facebook group or on Reddit.
- How much do male factors contribute to embryo aneuploidy? One study found that most embryo aneuploidy is driven by female factors (~75%), while male factors alone account for about 10% and another ~10% come from combined male and female contributions. Read more in my post Paternal (male) effect on embryo aneuploidy examined.
- Does embryo re-expansion after thaw affect IVF success? Re-expansion after thaw is linked to live birth, though studies use different thresholds (e.g., โฅ40โ50% within a few hours, ~70% or more, or even โฅ90% within minutes). This likely reflects the embryoโs underlying quality, and may also relate to whether itโs euploid. Read more in my post What is embryo compaction?
- Does embryo grade matter even when embryos are euploid? Yes, studies show that higher quality euploid embryos tend to have better success rates than lower quality euploids. This suggests that embryo quality still provides useful information beyond PGT-A.. Read more in my post Meta-analysis combines 74 studies to examine factors linked to euploid transfer success.
IVF research brief
๐ The full research brief for the month begins below (paid subscribers only)
Each week I flag ~10-20 IVF studies I find most helpful. Some are covered in detail on Remembryo, but paying subscribers get short summaries and links to all of them, organized into categoriesย like implantation, egg quality, PGT-A, etc.ย
Below is the full list of about 50 short summaries and links for studies that werenโt featured on Remembryo this month (available to paying members only).
๐ Sneak peek: 3 select summaries from the month
- Natural FETย improved live birth rates and reduced miscarriage and obstetric risks versus medicated FETsย in donor egg transfers.ย Read more (abstract only)
- A meta-analysisย foundย intrauterine hCGย before embryo transfer did not improve pregnancy or live birth rates.ย Read more (full article)
- A review found mostย IVF add-onsย lack strong evidence due to poor study design and inconsistent outcomes, highlighting the need for better trials.ย Read more (full article)
If you like these, consider subscribing below to get the full list.
If you liked this post and want to support what I do, please consider a paid subscription, Patreon or donate through PayPal!
ย
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 Masterโs 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.
ย