Pregnancy after the calcium ionophore correction of pronuclei position in oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective: To report a successful pregnancy after transfer of embryos derived from oocytes after calcium ionophore correction of the pronuclei localization after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Patient(s): A 30-year-old patient and her 30-year-old husband, diagnosed with asthenoteratozoopermia, underwent ICSI because of three unsuccessful IUI attempts.

Intervention(s): Thirteen metaphase II oocytes were injected with morphologically normal spermatozoa and immediately divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 7) was the untreated control and in group 2 (n = 6), the oocytes were treated with 10 μM calcium ionophore solution for 20 minutes at 37°C in 6% CO(2). The fertilization was checked 18 hours later and location of pronuclei in cytoplasm was assessed. Transfer of two embryos was performed on the third day after oocyte retrieval.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy after transfer of embryos after calcium ionophore correction of pronuclei localization.

Result(s): Fertilized zygotes from calcium ionophore-treated oocytes with physiologically normal central localization of pronuclei were chosen for ET. Clinical pregnancy was confirmed at 7 weeks of gestation.

Conclusion(s): Post-ICSI calcium ionophore activation of oocytes can be used for correction of the pronuclei localization, which can increase developmental rate of embryos.