Soluble human leukocyte antigen G expression in phase I culture media at 46 hours after fertilization predicts pregnancy and implantation from day 3 embryo transfer.

Objective: To compare pregnancy and implantation rates after ART when embryos for day 3 embryo transfer were selected based on soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) expression in the culture media at 46 hours after fertilization by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Private practice.

Influence of early ICSI-derived embryo sHLA-G expression on pregnancy and implantation rates: a prospective study.

Background: We have previously reported the retrospective observation that when at least one embryo, transferred on day 3, expressed sHLA-G above the geometric mean (sHLA-G+) 46 h post-ICSI, there was a marked improvement in both pregnancy (PR) and implantation (IR) rates.

Methods: The media surrounding individual embryos derived from ICSI performed on oocytes from 482 women < or =43 years of age were tested for sHLA-G expression by specific ELISA.

Results: We report here prospective results showing improved IVF results following the transfer of 'good quality' embryos (7-9 cells with <20% fragmentation) by preferentially including at least one sHLA-G+ embryos.

Expression of sHLA-G in supernatants of individually cultured 46-h embryos: a potentially valuable indicator of 'embryo competency' and IVF outcome.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 201 women aged 28-44 years, each of whom underwent one cycle of IVF-embryo transfer with fresh, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-derived 7- to 10-cell embryos, transferred 72 h after oocyte retrieval. Samples of media surrounding separately cultured embryos were collected 46 h post-ICSI and stored for subsequent specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A total of 594 embryos (from own or donor oocytes) were transferred to 201 women.

Perinatal outcome after in-vitro fertilization-surrogacy.

The perinatal outcome of pregnancies (both single and multiple) established after in-vitro fertilization (IVF)-surrogacy was evaluated and compared to the outcome of pregnancies that resulted from standard IVF. Analysis of medical records and a telephone interview with physicians, IVF-surrogates, and commissioning mothers were conducted to assess prenatal follow up and delivery care in several hospitals. 95 IVF-surrogates delivered 128 liveborn (65 singletons, 27 sets of twins and two sets of triplets).

Preovulatory sonographic uterine receptivity index (SURI): usefulness as an indicator of pregnancy in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatments.

To evaluate the uterine component as a determinant variable in the probability of establishing a pregnancy after assisted reproductive treatments, we introduced a mathematical formula derived from standard endovaginal uterine monitored color Doppler imaging parameters. We analyzed 102 cycles of ovarian stimulation with leuprolide acetate and exogenous gonadotropins resulting in 52 clinical pregnancies by stepwise logistic regression analysis. Sonographic endometrial pattern, thickness, diastolic blood flow, and resistive index variables were transformed into categorical variables and forced to yield a regression equation.