F. Azem

Increasing Synthetic Serum Substitute (SSS) Concentrations in P1 Glucose/Phosphate-Free Medium Improves Implantation Rate: A Comparative Study

AbstractPurpose: To assess the comparative efficacy of IVF medium (MediCult, with 5.2 mM glucose) and a glucose/phosphate-free medium, P1 (Irvine Scientific), and to investigate the influence of increasing the serum supplementation (synthetic serum substitute; SSS; Irvine Scientific) to P1 on embryo development and implantation. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to IVF medium (Group 1, cycles n = 172) or P1 supplemented with 10% SSS (Group 2, cycles n = 229) according to the medium scheduled for use on the day of oocyte retrieval. Another 555 IVF consequent cycles (Group 3) were performed using increased SSS concentrations (20%) in P1 medium. Results and Conclusion: In this large series of IVF cycles, we herein demonstrate that significantly higher pregnancy and implantation rates were found when embryos were cultured in glucose/phosphate-free medium P1 supplemented with 20% SSS compared to supplementation with the lower SSS concentration and with IVF medium.

Pregnancy rate in IVF rescue in high responders to human menopausal gonadotropin.

Purpose:In vitro fertilization had been previously suggested by us as a means of “rescue” for patients with imminent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) during treatment with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG). We evaluated the pregnancy rate of rescued IVF cycles.Methods:During the years 1994–1995, women treated with hMG and at risk of developing OHSS were referred to our IVF unit. Their estradiol level was above 1500 pg/ml, and eight or more follicles were observed by ultrasonography In all the patients. These high responders were offered the option to undergo ovum aspiration. We report the pregnancy rate in this group of patients.Results:Thirty-nine women were referred to our unit for rescue IVF. Two were uneligible due to high progesterone concentrations. Thirty-seven women underwent ovum pickup and 32 had embryo transfer. The clinical pregnancy rate was 40% (13/32). Only two women had clinical OHSS.Conclusions:We suggest that rescue IVF may be considered in hMG cycles of high responders with imminent OHSS. Rescue IVF offers a high rate of conception, avoids high-order multiple pregnancy, and appears not to increase the risk of OHSS in these women.

Neonatal outcome of preterm discordant twins.

Abstract Objective: To estimate the influence of fetal growth restriction (FGR) on neonatal morbidity and mortality among premature discordant twin neonates. Study design: Our medical records (2002–2007) of preterm twins born at 24–37 weeks’ gestation were reviewed. Significant discordance was defined as >15% difference in birth weight. Small for gestational age (SGA) was defined as birth weight <10th percentile, and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) was between the 10th and 90th percentile, according to a twin and sex-adjusted gestational age nomogram. The SGA/AGA group comprised of one SGA twin and its AGA pair (30 pairs). Another group of non-SGA discordant twins was also evaluated (n=40 pairs, AGA/AGA). The morbidity and mortality rates were compared between the groups. Results: Of the selected outcome variables, the only ones in which the incidence was significantly lower for SGA neonates than their AGA pairs were respiratory distress syndrome (5 vs. 11, P=0.014), apnea (1 vs. 9, P=0.004) and the need for respiratory support (5 vs. 14, P=0.002). Anemia, erythropoietin therapy and hyperbilirubinemia were significantly higher in the SGA twin. All selected outcome variables had similar rates within the AGA/AGA pairs. Conclusion: FGR among premature discordant twin pairs is associated with significantly lower rates of respiratory morbidity and higher anemia and erythropoietin therapy rates. Overall morbidity is similar for discordant non-FGR twin pairs.