HYDROSALPINGEAL FLUID INHIBITS IN-VITRO EMBRYONIC-DEVELOPMENT IN A MURINE MODEL

Recent evidence describing a suboptimal clinical outcome in women with hydrosalpinges who undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo tr ansfer suggests a potential deleterious effect of this fluid on in-ute ro embryo development, Consequently, we evaluated in-vitro mouse embry o development in the presence of hydrosalpingeal fluid (HF) collected from 10 infertile women of reproductive age, Chemical analyses showed both similarities and differences of these fluids to reported values f or fluids collected from non-diseased Fallopian tubes. The HF had a si gnificant deleterious effect upon mouse embryo cleavage and developmen t to the expanded and hatched blastocyst stage, although the effect wa s variable among patients, Dilution of HF to 30% concentration with cu lture medium failed to negate this effect, This argues against the eff ect resulting from a relative lack of critical, supportive component(s ) in the HF, Additionally, further experiments performed with cultures under an oil overlay significantly reduced the embryotoxicity of the HF. This evidence suggests there may be a lipophilic factor that can i mpair embryo development, The relatively poor IVF-embryo transfer succ ess in women with proximally patent hydrosalpinges may be explained, a t least in part, by reflux of a lipophilic embryotoxic factor(s) into the uterine cavity.