Jamila Biramane

Abnormal sperm-mucus penetration test predicts low in vitro fertilization ability of apparently normal semen

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether Kremers sperm-mucus penetration test may predict sperm fertilizing ability in IVF. DESIGN Kremers test was prospectively performed on semen samples used for 66 consecutive IVF trials and compared with the fertilization rates and fertilization failure rates observed. RESULTS Fertilization rates were significantly reduced in cases of abnormal Kremers test (42% versus 51%; n = 745 oocytes with a statistically insignificant increase in fertilization failure rates (21% versus 10%; n = 66 trials). For abnormal semen, fertilization rates (39% versus 39%; n = 208 oocytes) and fertilization failure rates (20% versus 28%; n = 17 trials) were similar regardless of Kremers test result. For normal semen, an abnormal Kremers test implied a significant decrease in fertilization rates (44% versus 54%; n = 537 oocytes) with a statistically insignificant increase in fertilization failure rates (21% versus 6%; n = 49 trials). CONCLUSIONS Abnormal Kremers test results identify patients with a decreased in vitro fertilizing ability despite apparently normal semen samples and a group with very low fertilizing failure risk in case of normal semen samples and normal Kremers test. Kremers test does not add any predictive value to sperm analysis in the case of abnormal semen samples. These observations point out the importance of the male factor in fertilization failure even in the case of normal semen analysis.

Quality control in IVF with mouse bioassays : A four years' experience

AbstractObjective: We analyzed retrospectively the relevance of 4 years of quality control on homemade culture medium with the mouse IVF and zygote bioassay. Design: In vitro or in vivo fertilized mouse oocytes were cultured in each batch of medium. Two-cell-stage and expanded blastocyst development was recorded for each batch of medium. Data on fertilization and embryo quality obtained in human in vitro fertilization were recorded for each batch. IVF treatment cycles for male infertility and cycles with sperm microinjection were excluded. Results: Human oocyte fertilization dropped from 60 to 54%, respectively, from 57 to 41% in a significant way (P<0.05 resp. P<0.01) and the human mean embryo score decreased from 4.17±1.21 to 3.69±1.06 (P<0.05) when media were used with a low two-cell-stage development (≤75%) for the mouse zygote or mouse IVF bioassay. The pregnancy rate was not affected. Conclusions: Media with high scores in mouse bioassays show higher fertilization rates and better embryo quality when used for human IVF.

The outcome of cryopreserved human embryos after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and traditional IVF

Objective:Our objective was to analyze the outcome of cryopreserved embryos obtained after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in terms of survival rate, implantation rate (IR), total and clinical pregnancy rate (PR) in a retrospective, comparative study.Methods:Three hundred seventy-five IVF and 463 ICSI surnumerary cleaved embryos, frozen on Day 2 with 1,2-propanediol, were thawed.Results:Thirty-two percent of the thawed IVF embryos survived and 11 pregnancies (8 clinical) were obtained from 68 transfers (16.1%). Fourty-seven percent of the ICSI embryos survived, with 19 pregnancies (18 clinical) from 116 transfers (16.4%). The IR was 8.5% (8/94) in IVF cycles and 10.8% (20/185) in ICSI cycles.Conclusions:A significantly better survival rate of ICSI embryos was observed but with no difference in PR, preclinical, and clinical abortion rate, or IR.

Randomized autocontrolled comparison of the embryo culture performance of Nunc and Falcon petri dishes

Purpose:Our purpose was to compare the embryo culture performance of two types of petri dishes (Nunc and Falcon).Methods:Mouse zygotes were cultured up to the expanded blastocyst stage in both types of dishes. The oocytes from 50 in vitro fertilization cycles were randomly divided between the two types of dishes. Fertilization, cleavage, and embryo quality were compared. Oocytes from another 50 cycles were all cultured at random in either type of dish. Pregnancy and implantation rates were compared between the two types.Results:Of 91 mouse zygotes, 81 cleaved to two-cell-stage embryos, and 64 became expanded blastocysts in Falcon dishes; of 99 zygotes, 81 cleaved to two-cell-stage embryos and 66 became expanded blastocysts in Nunc dishes. Of 248 oocyte–cumulus complexes (OCC), 145 fertilized in Falcon dishes, and of 269 OCC, 175 fertilized in Nunc dishes. The high quality embryo ratio was 51 out of 118 in Falcon dishes, not different from that in Nunc dishes, 58 out of 139. In Falcon dishes 72 out of 118 embryos were at least at the four-cell stage after 45 hr, versus 70 out of 139 in Nunc dishes. Twenty-three clinical pregnancies were obtained in the first 50 cycles with sibling oocytes. In the second group, with randomization of the cycles between Nunc and Falcon, 8 pregnancies were obtained in the Nunc and 10 in the Falcon dishes. The implantation rate in this second group of 50 cycles was 9 out of 61 in Falcon and 11 out of 57 in Nunc dishes.Conclusions:No differences were observed.