Weight of in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection singletons in early childhood

Birth weight and longitudinal growth in the first 4 years of life of term singletons conceived with the use of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were compared with those of naturally conceived singletons. Although IVF and ICSI singletons had a statistically significantly lower birth weight than naturally conceived singletons, the average individual weight curves showed that this difference was lost before the age of 4 years in all subgroups: IVF, ICSI, boys, and girls.     

Spontaneous embryonic loss after in vitro fertilization with and without intracytoplasmic sperm injection

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pregnancies after IVF, with and without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), have different early spontaneous loss rates. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of IVF/ICSI dataset. SETTING: The Center of Reproductive Medicine, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy. PATIENT(S): Women undergoing IVF with or without ICSI. INTERVENTION(S): First-trimester sonography at 6-7 weeks to count the number of embryos with positive heartbeat. The number of embryos lost was calculated from a second-trimester sonogram. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Embryonic loss rates related to the initial number of embryos, maternal age <35 or > or =35 years, and IVF procedure. RESULT(S): In vitro fertilization and ICSI had similar embryonic loss rates (odds ratio [OR] 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9-1.7, and OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1.8 for women aged <35 years and > or =35 years, respectively). Younger women had fewer losses after IVF (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9). Multiples had lower loss rates compared with singleton pregnancies. CONCLUSION(S): In vitro fertilization and ICSI have similar spontaneous embryonic loss rates. Factors other than the initial number of embryos, maternal age, and IVF technique, such as embryo quality or uterine environment, might be involved in the outcome of multiple pregnancies in assisted reproductive technology procedures.     

Pregnancy rates are higher with intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection than with conventional intracytoplasmic injection

OBJECTIVE: To verify whether microinjection into retrieved oocytes of motile spermatozoa with morphologically normal nuclei, strictly defined by high power light microscopy (x >6000), improves the IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancy rate in couples with repeated ICSI failures. DESIGN: Comparative prospective study testing routine IVF/ICSI outcome parameters against those of modified ICSI based on morphological selection of spermatozoa with normal nuclei. SETTING: Male factor fertility laboratory and IVF center. PATIENT(S): Sixty-two couples, with at least two previous consequent pregnancy failed ICSI cycles, underwent a single ICSI trial preceded by morphological selection of spermatozoa with normal nuclei. Fifty of these couples were matched with couples who underwent a routine ICSI procedure at the same IVF center and exhibited the same number of previous ICSI failures. INTERVENTION(S): Standard ICSI and modified ICSI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): ICSI pregnancy rate. RESULT(S): The matching study revealed that pregnancy rate after modified ICSI was significantly higher than that of the routine ICSI procedure (66.0% vs. 30.0%). CONCLUSION(S): Microinjection into retrieved oocytes of selected spermatozoa with strictly defined morphologically normal nuclei improves significantly the incidence of pregnancy in couples with previous ICSI failures.     

Cumulative probability of live birth after three in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles

OBJECTIVE: To assess the probability of live birth after three available in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): Nine hundred seventy-four couples who started their first conventional IVF or ICSI cycle between January 1996 and December 1997. A total of 1985 stimulated cycles were initiated. INTERVENTION(S): Analysis of the cumulative live birth rate using the life-table approach with and without taking dropouts into account. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Cumulative live birth rate. RESULT(S): The overall cumulative live birth rate after three completed stimulated cycles (including freezing/thawing cycles) was 65.5% with an "optimistic" approach. For the "realistic" and "pessimistic" approaches the corresponding figures were 63.1% and 55.5%, respectively. Unexpectedly, 65% of couples not achieving a live birth interrupted the full treatment program of three cycles. CONCLUSION(S): The cumulative live birth rate gives the couple a more accurate prognosis of achieving a live birth after IVF/ICSI than the statistics usually provided. With the "realistic" estimation, 63% of the couples achieved childbirth after three available conventional IVF or ICSI cycles. Further studies are required to investigate the high drop-out rate.     

Alternative strategies to in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment for aged infertile women

Purpose  

This study aimed to maximize the chance of pregnancy and provide an optimal protocol for infertile female patients of advanced reproductive age as an alternative to in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment.     

男性染色体多态性对精子质量及体外受精/卵胞质内单精子显微注射结局的影响

目的研究男方染色体多态性对精子质量及体外受精-胚胎移植(IVF-ET)结局的影响。方法回顾性比较IVF/卵胞质内单精子显微注射(ICSI)-ET助孕治疗的男方染色体多态(n=131)和正常对照夫妇(n=160)的妊娠结局,观察男方的精子质量和受精情况、临床妊娠率、早期流产率。结果男方染色体多态组中严重少/弱精子症(19.85%)比例显著高于染色体正常组(5.00%,P0.001),Yqh+在严重少/弱精子症(38.46%)中的比例最高;Yqh-也高达15.38%,1qh+在严重少/弱精子症组是最常见的常染色体多态类型(19.23%);染色体多态组的女方年龄、体质量指数(BMI)、基础性激素水平均无统计学差异(P0.05),男方前向精子率(PR%)、精子正常率以及获卵数、移植胚胎数均无统计学差异(P0.05)。染色体多态组行IVF-ET助孕治疗后,其着床率(17.42%)、临床妊娠率(28.17%)均显著低于正常对照组(32.26%,59.38%)(P0.05);并且早期流产率(11.11%)高于对照组(2.04%),但差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。染色体多态组行ICSI-ET助孕治疗后与正常对照组妊娠结局无统计学差异(P0.05),优质胚胎率(75.24%±23.68%)还高于正常对照组(49.97%±29.31%)(P0.05)。行ICSI-ET助孕的男方染色体多态患者其着床率(34.78%)以及临床妊娠率(52.00%)显著高于行IVF-ET助孕的男方染色体多态患者(17.42%,28.17%)(P0.05)。结论男性染色体多态性患者中严重少/弱精子的比例增加,男性染色体多态不利于IVF妊娠结局,对ICSI影响较小。     

Acrosome index is not an absolute predictor of the outcome following conventional in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Purpose: To investigate if including evaluation of acrosome index (AI) in the semen analysis of teratozoospermic samples could help to predict for which patients intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is necessary. Methods: The fertilization rate, pregnancy rate, and percentage of good quality embryos were compared after performing conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and ICSI, respectively, using sibling oocytes. The role of AI was evaluated by dividing patients into two groups; Group A (AI < 7%) and Group B (AI 7%). Results: A significant difference in fertilization rate was observed between Group A and B after conventional IVF. In Group A, the fertilization rate, embryo transfer rate, and percentage of good quality embryos were higher after ICSI than after IVF. In Group B, the fertilization and pregnancy rates were numerically but not significantly higher after IVF compared to ICSI. Conclusion: Evaluation of acrosome index will not accurately predict fertilization, although this study shows that a sperm sample with less than 5% normal forms and an AI greater than 7% may achieve a mean fertilization rate >70% after conventional IVF.     

Rescue intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-salvaging in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles after total or near-total fertilization failure

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of delayed oocyte reinsemination by ICSI (rescue ICSI) after total or near-total fertilization failure (≤25%) in IVF.

Design: A retrospective clinical study.

Setting: Non–hospital-based IVF program.

Patient(s): Thirty IVF cycles with total fertilization failure and two cycles with ≤25% initial fertilization.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Fertilization and pregnancy rates after rescue ICSI.

Intervention(s): Rescue ICSI 19–22 hours after initial oocyte insemination.

Result(s): A fertilization rate of 60.2% was achieved with rescue ICSI (141 of 234 oocytes, 29 of 32 patients). Of 30 patients with total fertilization failure, 27 had fresh transfers with rescue ICSI embryos. Two additional patients with ≤25% initial fertilization had subsequent replacement of frozen-thawed rescue ICSI embryos. Six pregnancies resulted, including three singleton, one twin, one missed abortion, and one ectopic pregnancy (20.7%). One of the singleton pregnancies resulted from replacement of four frozen-thawed embryos and is the first known pregnancy achieved from cryopreserved rescue ICSI embryos.

Conclusion(s): Rescue ICSI should be considered in the presence of total or near-total fertilization failure in IVF. Early application of rescue ICSI (19–22 hours after insemination) may be critical for establishing fertilization within an optimal window and producing viable embryos and pregnancies.