A descriptive study of culture media in Brazilian assisted reproduction clinics

OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to draw a profile of the most commonly used media and protocol characteristics from assisted reproduction technology (ART) facilities in Brazil. METHODS To obtain an overview of ART methods and culture media, a questionnaire was given to embryologists from ART clinics in Brazil. Further research in scientific papers and journals was carried out for describing the processes around Brazil, USA and Europe. RESULTS From the questionnaire, we found that the embryo medium mostly used is CSCMTM from Irvine Scientific, represented 37.04% in Brazilian ART clinics; interestingly, 70.37% of clinics exchange the embryo media bath; however, 70.37% do not change the media type. Transfers in Brazilian clinics were variable, but day 3 transfer was a procedure seen in 37.04%. The remaining embryos are habitually maintained in prolonged cultivation in 51.85% of the clinics interviewed. CONCLUSION Although there are numerous studies trying to better understand embryo culture media influences, there is a lack of evidence for choosing one as the most appropriate. In short, it is a random decision for such an essential stage of In Vitro Fertilization.