Sibling oocyte submission to IVF and ICSI in unexplained infertility patients: a potential assay for gamete quality.

In order to reduce total fertilization failure in unexplained infertility, sibling oocytes were submitted to both conventional IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Two groups of ICSI embryos were compared in unexplained infertility patients: those derived from ICSI when IVF had failed to fertilize, and those derived from ICSI while their sibling oocytes were fertilized by IVF. The outcome of oocytes fertilized exclusively by ICSI (essential ICSI, n = 749) was compared with those fertilized both by IVF and ICSI (non-essential ICSI, n = 957) in all IVF patients treated for unexplained infertility at the Hadassah Hospital (1999-2002).

In vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection success rates with cryopreserved sperm from patients with malignant disease.

Objective: To describe the success rate of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using thawed cryopreserved sperm in male cancer patients.

Design: Retrospective consecutive study.

Setting: IVF unit in a tertiary university hospital.

Interleukin-18 levels correlate with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Objective: To assess the involvement of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in the pathophysiology of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), and study its use as a marker of disease and its correlation to capillary hyperpermeability.

Design: Prospective controlled study.

Setting: An IVF unit in a tertiary medical center.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-antagonist versus GnRH-agonist in ovarian stimulation of poor responders undergoing IVF.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of GnRH-antagonists to GnRH-agonists in ovarian stimulation of poor responders undergoing IVF.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of our data revealed that 56 patients underwent treatment with a GnRH-agonist according to the flare-up protocol. Patients failing to achieve an ongoing pregnancy (n = 53) were subsequently treated in the next cycle with a GnRH-antagonist according to the multiple-dose protocol.

Hyaluronic acid can successfully replace albumin as the sole macromolecule in a human embryo transfer medium.

Objective: To examine the effect on pregnancy and implantation rates when highly purified, fermentation-based hyaluronic acid was the only macromolecule supplement to the transfer medium in a human IVF program.

Design: Prospective randomized study.

Setting: In vitro fertilization center in an academic medical institution.