Search

Background: 15 % of oocytes collected from Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) cycles are immature. These oocytes may be matured following in vitro maturation (IVM) program. It is possible to cryopreserve the immature oocytes for further use in ART after application of IVM. Objective: The aim was to determine the maturation rate and viability of human oocytes that were matured in vitro after vitrification program. Materials and methods: 63 women (19-43 years old) who underwent controlled ovarian stimulation for ART were included in this study. 53 immature oocytes were used for fresh group (fIVM) and 50 immature oocytes for vitrification group (vIVM). The maturation medium was Ham's F supplemented with 0.75 IU FSH, 0.75 IU LH and 40 % human follicular fluid (HFF). After 36 h, maturation and morphology of all oocytes were assessed. Also, the oocyte viability was assessed using PI/Hoechst immunostaining technique. Results: The maturation rates were reduced in vIVM group (56.0 %) in comparison to fIVM group (88.7 %; P < 0.001). Oocyte viability rate were also reduced in vIVM group (56.0 %) in comparison to fIVM (86.8 %, P < 0.007). Conclusions: Cryopreservation via vitrification reduced both the maturation capacity and viability of human oocytes in IVM technology. It is, therefore, recommended to apply IVM on fresh immature oocytes, instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The incidence of poor ovarian response in controlled ovarian stimulation (COH) has been reported in 9-24 % of IVF-ET cycles. Growth hormone augments the effect of gonadotropin on granulosa and theca cells, and plays an essential role in ovarian function, including follicular development, estrogen synthesis and oocyte maturation. The aim of this study was to assess IVF-ET cycle outcome after the addition of growth hormone in antagonist protocol in poor responders. Materials and methods: Eighty-two poor responder patients selected for ART enrolled the study and were randomly divided into two groups. Group I (GH/HMG/GnRHant group, n = 40) received growth hormone/gonadotropin/GnRH antagonist protocol and group II (HMG/GnRHant group, n = 42) received gonadotropin/GnRH antagonist protocol. Results: The number of retrieved oocytes was significantly higher in GH/HMG/GnRHant group than HMG/GnRHant group, 6.10 ± 2.90 vs. 4.80 ± 2.40 ( p = 0.035) and the number of obtained embryos was also significantly higher in GH/HMG/GnRHant group than HMG/GnRHant group, 3.7 ± 2.89 as compared to 2.7 ± 1.29 ( p = 0.018). There were no significant differences between groups regarding implantation, and chemical and clinical pregnancy rates. Conclusion: Our study showed that co-treatment with growth hormone in antagonist protocol in patients with a history of poor response in previous IVF-ET cycles did not increase pregnancy rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Safe, simple and cost-effective protocol is an important goal in ART cycles. The aim of this prospective study was whether administration of low-dose hCG in late follicular phase can be used clinically to replace gonadotropin administration in GnRH long protocol. Materials and methods: 122 patients who were candidates for ART enrolled the study and randomly divided into two groups. The control group ( n = 62) received standard long protocol and gonadotropin administration continued until the day of hCG injection (10,000 IU) for final follicular maturation. The study group ( n = 60) received GnRH long protocol and when at least ≥6 follicles with mean diameter ≥12 mm were observed in both ovaries, hMG was displaced by 200 IU per day of hCG until final follicular maturation. Results: There were no significant differences in age, basal FSH, infertility duration and infertility etiology between two groups. There were no statistically significant differences between two groups regarding chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and abortion per cycle (50, 40, 40, and 20 % in study group vs. 45.2, 35.5, 35.5, and 21.4 % in control group, respectively). Mean dose of used gonadotropins was significantly higher in control group than that in the study group (2,524 ± 893 IU in control group and 1,439 ± 433 IU in study group) ( p = 0.000). Conclusion: According to our data, we recommend the use of low-dose hCG in GnRH long protocol because of lower doses of used gonadotropins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of our study was to compare the transfer of embryos that are cryopreserved in cleavage stage after thawing with the transfer of embryos after thawing and culture in sequential media until blastocyst formation. Methods: In this prospective clinical study, we have evaluated 134 cycles of ART treatment for infertility. Frozen embryos were thawed and then cultured in sequential media until blastocyst stage in blastocyst group and were compared with thawed embryos in cleavage stage group. Results: Implantation rate was significantly higher in blastocyst group (30 %) compared to cleavage group (17 %). No statistical differences were reported in chemical and clinical pregnancy rates between groups. Ongoing pregnancy rate was significantly higher in blastocyst group compared to cleavage group (42.9 vs. 24.6 %). Conclusions: Our results indicated that blastocyst formation after thawing of cleavage stage embryos is a good predictor for embryo viability and pregnancy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]