BENEFICIAL ASPECTS OF COCULTURE WITH ASSISTED HATCHING WHEN APPLIED TO MULTIPLE-FAILURE IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION PATIENTS

A study was conducted on patients who had attempted and failed previou s in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures an average of 3.8 times foll owing the application of assisted hatching with conventional culture s ystems. The aim of this investigation was to determine if addition of co-culture methodologies could reduce embryonic abnormalities and thus improve the prognosis for pregnancy, The study population consisted o f 123 patients, subdivided into three patient categories. Previous IVF results from conventional culture were used to evaluate any potential benefits derived from the present co-culture application, Following c o-culture, the rate of blastomere development was increased and the ra te of fragmentation decreased. An increased rate of blastomere develop ment was mast noticeable in the patients aged less than or equal to 39 years with no male factor as well as the intracytoplasmic sperm injec tion (ICSI) subgroup. Similarly, the rate of fragmentation was signifi cantly reduced in the aforementioned subgroups, The most pronounced im pact of co-culture was on pregnancy and implantation rates. The overal l clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were 38% (47/123) and 36% (44/1 23) respectively, The corresponding implantation rate was 17% (72/412) as shown by embryonic cardiac activity, The ongoing pregnancy rates i n the less than or equal to 39 years no male factor, greater than or e qual to 40 years no male factor and ICSI no age limit patient subgroup s were 41% (21/51), 30% (8/27) and 33% (15/45) respectively. The resul ts indicate that addition of co-culture to the IVF procedure for poor- prognosis patients may be advisable.