The impact of laser-assisted hatching on the outcome of frozen human embryo transfer cycles.

Biochemical modifications of zona pellucida (ZP) result in zona hardening. Zona hardening (ZH) is induced by several factors such as advancing maternal age, in vitro culture conditions and cryopreservation and adversely effects implantation. The objective of the clinical study was to determine whether or not laser-assisted hatching (LAH) applied on day 3 frozen embryos improves the outcome of frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles in patients with recurrent implantation failure and/or advanced female age.

Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes in human assisted reproduction.

Both sperm and embryo cryopreservation have become routine procedures in human assisted reproduction and oocyte cryopreservation is being introduced into clinical practice and is getting more and more widely used. Embryo cryopreservation has decreased the number of fresh embryo transfers and maximized the effectiveness of the IVF cycle. The data shows that women who had transfers of fresh and frozen embryos obtained 8% additional births by using their cryopreserved embryos.

Freezing of oocytes and its effect on the displacement of the meiotic spindle: short communication.

Our investigations focused on spindle dynamics/displacement in frozen-thawed human oocytes. In each oocyte, prior to freezing and after thawing and culturing, the presence/location of the spindle was determined with the Polscope technique. A total of 259 oocytes have been thawed with a survival rate of 81.

Birth and clinical pregnancy from fresh and frozen oocytes fertilized with cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa.

This is the first report showing a second clinical pregnancy of a couple who already have a baby from a previous frozen embryo transfer cycle when the embryos were generated from fresh oocytes that were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using frozen testicular spermatozoa (the couple have unsuccessful fresh and frozen embryo transfer cycles). Fifty-two months after the first IVF/ICSI cycle the couple had their second IVF/ICSI cycle, but the collected oocytes (n=8) were frozen because no spermatozoa was obtained from the frozen testicular tissue samples which were cryopreserved prior to the first IVF/ICSI cycle. New testicular tissue samples were obtained and frozen.

Pregnancy rates with recombinant versus urinary human chorionic gonadotropin in in vitro fertilization: an observational study.

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) demonstrated the equal efficacy of urinary human chorionic gonadotropin (uhCG) and recombinant hCG (rhCG) products in in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, limitations inherent with RCTs necessitate the reinforcement of RCT results in real-life. We retrospectively analyzed pregnancies after treatment with rhCG and uhCG products (n = 391, and 96, resp.

The effect of cycle regimen used for endometrium preparation on the outcome of day 3 frozen embryo transfer cycle.

Three cycle regimens to prepare the patients' endometrium for day 3 frozen embryo transfer cycle have been evaluated (natural cycle, hormonally manipulated artificial programmed, and stimulated cycles). All three procedures were equally effective in terms of pregnancy outcome, although a higher probability of pregnancy was found in the natural cycle.

Vitrification of cleavage stage mouse embryos by the cryoloop procedure.

By decreasing the volume of the cryoprotective solution it is possible to increase dramatically the freezing speed and - at the same time - reduce the toxicity and osmotic side effects of cryoprotectants (CPA). The objective of our study was to vitrify Day-3 cleavage stage mouse embryos (n = 229) with the cryoloop technology using a new composition of vitrification media. Embryos were exposed to a 2-step loading of CPA, ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG), before being placed on the surface of a thin filmy layer formed from the vitrification solution in a small nylon loop, then they were rapidly submerged into liquid nitrogen.

Births resulting from oocyte cryopreservation using a slow freezing protocol with propanediol and sucrose.

The human mature oocyte is particularly sensitive to cooling and low temperatures in addition to freeze-thaw damage. The efficiency of oocyte cryopreservation including the pregnancy outcome is still low. The aim of our study is to briefly introduce our preliminary clinical results achieved with oocyte cryopreservation (CP).

The effect of condition/state of testicular spermatozoa injected to the outcome of TESE-ICSI-ET cycles.

Objective: The effect of state/condition of spermatozoa (fresh/motile, fresh/immotile, frozen/motile and frozen/immotile) to fertilization, embryo formation/development, implantation and pregnancy/delivery and abortion rates were studied.

Study Design: The data of a total of 167 TESE-ICSI-ET cycles with fresh and cryopreserved, motile and immotile testicular spermatozoa collected with testicular biopsy from patients suffering from non-obstructive azoospermia were analyzed retrospectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to distinguish the group effects in fertilization, embryo formation, and implantation ratio.

Oocyte cryopreservation: the birth of the first Hungarian babies from frozen oocytes.

Purpose: To present data obtained with clinical application of oocyte cryopreservation.

Methods: Slow freezing/rapid thawing in PBS based medium containing 1.5 M propanediol + 0.

Does oocyte cryopreservation have a future in Hungary?

The Committee of Human Reproduction established by the Hungarian Ministry of Health is currently working on a proposition that has the intention to ban oocyte cryopreservation in Hungary temporarily. According to the notion of the committee, oocyte cryopreservation and the utilization of frozen oocytes entail enormous risks for future generations. They argue that the safety of the method is unproven.

Deliveries from embryos fertilized with spermatozoa obtained from cryopreserved testicular tissue.

Aim: The data of 167 TESE-ICSI-ET cycles performed with fresh or frozen, motile or immotile testicular spermatozoa were analyzed, retrospectively.

Methods: The outcome measures studied were state/condition of spermatozoa, fertilization, embryo developmental, implantation and pregnancy/delivery and abortion rates.

Results: No differences were found in fertilization, implantation and pregnancy rates of oocytes injected with fresh or frozen spermatozoa.

[Deep freezing of oocytes for preserving the fertility of young female oncology patients treated with aggressive radio- and/or chemotherapy].

The aggressive radiotherapy and chemotherapy used for treatment of oncological patients--through the damage of germ cells--may cause decrease of fertility or complete infertility. There are relatively few effective clinical options for preserving female fertility. The results of clinical experiments connected with ovarian tissue cryopreservation and oocyte freezing are very promising and indicate that we may have tools for female fertility preservation in the future.

Clinical experiences of ICSI-ET thawing cycles with embryos cryopreserved at different developmental stages.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to analyze factors including survival, implantation and pregnancy rate, patients' age and BMI, abortions and extra uterine pregnancies that might influence the outcome of ICSI-ET thawing cycles.

Methods: A total of 147 cycles with embryos cryopreserved at different developmental stages were retrospectively evaluated.

Results: No difference was found in the survival, implantation and pregnancy rates of embryos cryopreserved on Day 2-3 and 5.

Visualization and examination of the meiotic spindle in human oocytes with polscope.

Purpose: The effect of detectability/location of meiotic spindle to fertilization of human MII oocytes and outcome of clinical IVF/ICSI-ET cycles was studied.

Methods: The location of spindle relative to polar body positioned to 6 o'clock was detected with polscope prior to ICSI in oocytes. Data of 83 IVF/ICSI-ET cycle, including pregnancy results, and a total of 1033 oocytes examined were analyzed retrospectively.

Assisted reproductive research: laser assisted hatching and spindle detection (spindle view technique).

Animal experiments are very important for the development of new assisted reproductive techniques (ART) for use in human and animal reproductive medicine. Most technical aspects of reproductive manipulation of humans and animals are very similar, and many components of successful human ART used nowadays have been derived from animal studies. In this study we examined (1) the use of 'non-contact' laser for assisted hatching, (2) whether spindles in living mouse oocytes could safely be imaged/examined by polarisation microscope (polscope) and (3) the influence of environment (e.

A follow-up study of children born after diode laser assisted hatching.

This follow-up study of children born after laser assisted hatching (LAH) with a non-contact laser aims to compile data on karyotypes, deliveries, congenital malformations and growth parameters to evaluate the safety of this new technique. The study design consisted of karyotyping and completion of a standardized questionnaire. Data were analyzed for the first 134 children born after LAH.

Significant differences in capillary electrophoretic patterns of follicular fluids and sera from women pre-treated for in vitro fertilization.

Human ovarian follicular fluids and sera obtained from women pre-treated for in vitro fertilization (IVF) were investigated by capillary zone electrophoresis. Comparison of the matching physiological liquids showed substantial differences in the electrophoretic patterns. Significant decrease in the alpha(1)- and gamma-fractions of follicular fluids of every woman were observed, whereas other fractions of the samples did not show such alterations.