ENSURING CONTACT BETWEEN GAMETES IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO TRANSFER IMPROVES THE EFFICIENCY OF THE GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER PROCEDURE

We set out to determine whether ensuring contact between the oocytes a nd spermatozoa just prior to transfer in the gamete intrafallopian tra nsfer (GIFT) procedure could enhance pregnancy rates. 31 patients were treated by GIFT. Spermatozoa were prepared by the swim-up technique a nd the final concentration was adjusted to 20 million per mi. Just pri or to transfer the oocytes were placed in the spermatozoa preparation for 1 to 2 min. The oocytes were picked up together with about 200,000 spermatozoa and transferred to the healthier Fallopian tube. The numb er of oocytes transferred ranged between 3 and 4; four patients receiv ed five oocytes and one patient received six oocytes. Clinical pregnan cy was confirmed by the detection of gestation sac and fetal heart bea t during ultrasound scan performed at 4-5 weeks of pregnancy. Out of 3 1 patients treated, 17 (54.8%) achieved pregnancy. There were three pa irs of twin and 14 singleton pregnancies. 10 (32.3%) pregnancies succe ssfully proceeded to term of which three were twins. These results sug gest that ensuring contact between the spermatozoa and the oocytes jus t prior to transfer in GIFT cycles can enhance pregnancy rates. With t his intervention one in two patients appear to achieve pregnancy and o ne in three patients proceed to term. Med Sci Res 26:379-380 (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers.