Comparison between embryos transferred with self-spent and fresh medium on reproductive outcomes: a prospective randomized trial

ABSTRACT

As the final and critical step in in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo transfer has always received much attention and deserves continuous optimization. In the present study, to explore the role of autocrine factors in embryo self-spent culture media, we prospectively compared embryo transfer with self-spent culture medium and fresh medium on clinical pregnancy outcomes. A total of 318 fresh IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were randomly allocated into two subgroups based on their transfer media (using a self-spent culture medium or new pre-equilibrated culture media), and the clinical outcomes were compared between groups. The implantation rates, clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates for transfer using self-spent medium instead of new pre-equilibrated culture medium were slightly improved without statistical significance. Interestingly, however, biochemical pregnancy rate was found to be significantly decreased after transfer using self-spent medium for Day 3 embryos compared with new pre-equilibrated culture media. In short, embryo transfer with self-spent culture medium has shown some advantages, and large sample size studies are still needed to confirm these observations.

Abbreviations

ART: assisted reproductive technologies; ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection; IVF: in vitro fertilization; ET: embryo transfer

KEYWORDS:

• In vitro fertilization
• embryo transfer
• culture media
• self-spent
• clinical pregnancy outcomes

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported in part by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (2018YFC1003600), Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Department Grant (18YF1WA045), and Jinan Science and Technology Development Plan (201907014). We thank all the staff at the participating IVF centers.

Author contributions

Study design: YZ, YW, BW, BY, ST, RH. Techniques performing in IVF labs: BW, BY, ST, RH. Clinical intervention and tracking: YZ, ST, YN. Data collection: BW, BY, YN, YZ. Statistical analysis: BW, YZ. Manuscript writing: BW, YZ. Manuscript revising: BW, YZ, YL. All authors approved revisions and the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China [2018YFC1003600]; Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Department Grant [18YF1WA045]; Jinan Science and Technology Development Plan [201907014].