Effects of Meiotic Maturation Stage on Oocyte Cryopreservation
January 2, 2010
Written by Professor Semra Kahraman
The ability to cryopreserve oocytes is of importance in certain clinical and social situations. However, an effective oocyte cryopreservation programme is yet to be developed. In contrast to unsatisfactory results of slow freezing, vitrification of oocytes has yielded comparable pregnancy rates with fresh oocyte retrieval treatments. However, vitrification has not been applied to immature germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes, which are theoretically more resistant to the cryo-damage. In a recent study, researchers investigated whether immature and in vitro matured human oocytes can be successfully vitrified by comparing oocyte survival rates, fertilization, and embryonic development when oocytes are vitrified before and after in vitro maturation (IVM). Read more
Australian Study Reports Higher Risk of Blastogenesis Birth Defects with IVF/ICSI
December 18, 2009
Blastogenesis denotes the development that occurs in the first 28 days after conception, wherein the basic body plan, gene expression domains, and the embryo’s developmental fate are established. The defects or malformations arising at this stage are generally severe and lethal, owing to several reasons such as the embryo’s small size, interdependent nature of its development, and proximity of the organ rudiments. Now, a recent study published in the journal, Human Reproduction highlights the link between IVF/ICSI procedures and blastogenesis birth defects, with the probability of the specific risk being lower with frozen-thawed embryo transfer. Read more
ALERT: Researchers Create Germ Cells from Embryonic Stem Cells
December 2, 2009
Advancements in infertility research have been hindered by the complexity of understanding the human reproductive cycle in animal models. Additionally, the non-availability of germ cells, due to its formation in the very early stages of the embryonic development (8-10 weeks), has led to the scarcity of these cells for research purposes. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a method to proficiently transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, in vitro. The study, which is claimed to provide the first evidence of creating functional germ cells in the laboratory, could offer a valuable insight into understanding the early stages of gametogenesis, and germ cell development and differentiation. The findings of the research are published in the recent issue of the journal Nature. Read more
ALERT: New Guidelines for Oocyte Freezing Issued in the UK
November 26, 2009
Oocyte cryopreservation holds significant potential as an option for preserving female fertility, especially in patients undergoing aggressive radiation or chemotherapy. Following an intensive review, the British Fertility Society (BFS) and the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE) have issued new clinical guidelines on egg freezing technologies for UK clinics. Read more
ALERT: Aberrant Endometrial Prostaglandin Synthesis Linked to Repeated Implantation Failure
November 23, 2009
Considerable amount of evidence has implicated prostaglandins (PG) to play a vital role in implantation and decidualization. A recent case-control study has linked defective endometrial prostaglandin (PG) synthesis in IVF patients with repeated embryo implantation failure, suggesting that the reduced synthesis of PG could result in poor endometrial receptivity. The findings of the study are published in the recent issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility. Read more
Multivariate Analysis Reports the Significance of Oocyte Donor Characteristics in Predicting IVF Success
November 16, 2009
Multiple factors have been attributed to affect the outcome of IVF pregnancies achieved through oocyte donation; some of them include embryo quality, endometrial receptivity, reproductive status of the recipient, and the ages of the donor and recipient. Despite contradictory evidences on the effect of the recipient’s age, the age of the donor has been identified as a significant factor influencing the outcomes of assisted reproduction. Results of a multivariate analysis published in the journal Fertility and Sterility has further substantiated the crucial association between the donor’s age and the number of mature oocytes/embryos obtained. The study results also proposed the significance of other factors, such as estradiol level on the day of hCG administration and amount of gonadotropin used in the stimulation protocol, for predicting IVF outcome. Read more
Use of Metabolomic Profiling in Predicting the Embryonic Reproductive Potential
November 11, 2009
Written by Professor Semra Kahraman
Higher rate of multiple pregnancies is still a major problem in IVF conceptions. Therefore, a primary goal of current assisted reproductive technology is to improve embryo implantation and pregnancy rates while avoiding the risk of higher order pregnancies. The solution is definitely based on the ability to identify the best and most viable embryos using a highly efficient selection procedure. New, non-invasive analytic spectrophotometric tests, including Raman and near-infrared (NIR) techniques, have been introduced to choose viable embryos, as an alternative to the current approach of subjective microscopy-based morphological assessment. Read more
Imatinib Reported to Prevent Chemotherapy-induced Oocyte Death
October 27, 2009
The advent of newer chemotherapeutic drugs has increased concerns about their genotoxic effects in young patients undergoing chemotherapy. Although several strategies have been proposed to conserve female fertility before and during cancer treatment, there is a lack of evidence-based data that can substantiate the efficacy and safety of these techniques. The use of chemotherapeutic medications that do not induce oocyte damage or prevent it may emerge as a new option for fertility preservation. A recent study, elucidating the pathway linked to chemotherapy-induced death of oocytes, reports the protective effect of the anticancer drug, imatinib in preserving the oocytes during such treatments. The results of the study are published online in the journal Nature Medicine. Read more
ALERT: Novel Mechanical Method of Assisted Hatching Reported
October 25, 2009
Several assisted hatching (AH) techniques, such as mechanical dissection, zona thinning with acidified Tyrode’s solution or proteolytic enzymes, and laser energy, have been evaluated with varying reports on their clinical efficacy. Now a new method of hatching, in which the zona pellucida (ZP) is mechanically expanded using hydrostatic pressure has been developed, helping to increase the implantation rates of day-3 frozen-thawed embryos in IVF/ICSI cycles. The findings of this prospective study have been published in the latest issue of Fertility and Sterility. Read more
ALERT: Implementation of the Amended HFE Act Expected to Aid in Infertility Management and Research
October 20, 2009
The amended and updated Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Act 1990 came into force on October 1, 2009 in the United Kingdom. This implementation, accounting for the single largest change affecting the UK fertility sector in the last two decades, provides a futuristic framework and will form the basis for regulating the practice. Read more
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