Comparison of oocyte fertilization rates using different culture systems: A prospective cohort study

Abstract

Context: The success of clinicalin vitro fertilization (IVF) may be hampered by suboptimal oocyte culture. Research over the past 25 years has resulted in the development of more physiological and effective culture systems capable of maintaining both development and viability of the preimplantation embryo, resulting in the increase in the overall success rates of human-assisted conception per cycle. However, the perfect culture system has not yet been determined.Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the difference in the fertilization rates of oocytes using two different culture systems – cohort co-culture and microdroplet culture methods.Settings and Design: This was an observational, prospective cohort study carried out in a tertiary care hospital with an assisted reproductive center between June 2017 and August 2018.Materials and Methods: Oocytes from normoresponsive patients undergoing IVF and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into two groups and cultured using either the cohort (group) or the microdroplet culture methods using conventional IVF.Statistical Analysis Used: Details of all cases were recorded on a structured format and analyzed with the help of registered version of SPSS version 21 using the Chi-square test and Student's t-test. Statistical significance was assessed at P < 0.05.Results: Three hundred and twenty-seven patients (159 [1031 oocytes] in cohort and 168 [1067 oocytes] in microdroplet culture) were included in the study. No significant difference (P = 0.08) was found in the fertilization rates in the two culture systems; however, denudation of oocyte was faster in the microdroplet group.Conclusions: The difference in the fertilization rates of oocytes using cohort culture or microdroplet culture systems was not statistically significant.

Keywords

• co-culture
• in vitro fertilization
• microdroplet culture
• oocyte culture