Aberrant DNA methylation of imprinted H19 gene in human preimplantation embryos

DNA methylation patterns of the H19 differentially methylated region were successfully determined in 32 of 50 human day 3 embryos produced and discarded after assisted reproductive technology procedures. We found methylation patterns similar to those of somatic cells in 81.3% of embryos and demethylation or hypomethylation patterns in 18.7% of embryos.