Short incubation time prevents deleterious effects of cumulus cell degeneration and excess spermatozoa in IVF embryos. We performed a short incubation (3 h) protocol in 328 IVF cycles, in order to compare the developmental potential of regular IVF embryos with those originating from 316 cycles entered our intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) programme over the same period. Embryo transfers w...

BACKGROUND Over a million children have been born from assisted conception worldwide. Newer techniques being introduced appear less and less 'natural', such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), but there is little information on these children beyond the neonatal period. METHODS 540 ICSI conceived 5-year-old children from five European countries were comprehensively assessed, along wit...

Objective To investigate the effect of sperm DNA fragmentation on the fertilization rate, embryo development and pregnancy outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in a cohort of Chinese couples. Methods Infertile couples that had undergone assisted reproductive technology at our centre between January 2011 and December 2013 were included in this retro...

BACKGROUND ICSI bypasses the sperm-oolemma interactions that, in normal fertilization, depend on completion of the acrosome reaction. Morphological changes in the acrosomes of sperm in the ooplasm were therefore examined following IVF and ICSI using pig gametes. METHODS In-vitro-matured porcine oocytes were used for ICSI or IVF. Oocytes were then stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjug...

BACKGROUND The present study aims to compare which one has a better obstetric and perinatal outcome in singleton pregnancy, frozen embryo transfer (FET) or. in vitro fertilization treatment/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI)? METHODS MEDLINE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library were searched for the obstetric and perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnancy after assisted reproducti...

BACKGROUND Although most pregnancies after IVF result in normal healthy outcomes, an increased risk for a number of obstetric and neonatal complications, compared to naturally conceived pregnancies, has been reported. While there are many studies that compare pregnancies after assisted reproductive techniques with spontaneously conceived pregnancies, fewer data are available that evaluate the d...

BACKGROUND There is considerable uncertainty as to the significance of a high sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) for achieving a successful pregnancy. METHODS The sperm DFI of 124 patients undergoing 192 IVF cycles and of 96 patients undergoing 155 ICSI cycles was determined using the sperm chromatin structure assay on neat sperm. RESULTS The rate of continuing pregnancies in ICSI cycles (...

BACKGROUND The reasons for increased birth defect prevalence following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are largely unknown. Classification of birth defects by pathology rather than organ system, and examination of the role of embryo freezing and thawing may provide clues to the mechanisms involved. This study aimed to investigate these two factors. MET...

BACKGROUND Factors influencing a pregnant woman's decision to accept prenatal testing are largely undefined. Our study aimed to compare the acceptance rate of prenatal diagnosis in women who conceived through IVF or ICSI (cases) with that of women who conceived spontaneously (controls). METHODS Retrospective chart review in Lebanon of all primiparas carrying singletons who were offered prenat...

In order to study the impact of procedures of IVF/ICSI technology on sex ratio in China, we conducted this multi-center retrospective study including 121,247 babies born to 93,895 women in China. There were 62,700 male babies and 58,477 female babies, making the sex ratio being 51.8% (Male: Female  = 107:100). In univariate logistic regression analysis, sex ratio was imbalance toward females of...