Implantation Rate of Vitrified Blastocysts
Conditions
Keywords
vitrification, blastocyst, artificial shrinkage, collapse
Brief summary
In our centre, the implantation rate of frozen blastocysts (cryopreserved using vitrification)was 20,3% (Van Landuyt et al. 2011). This implantation rate is lower when compared to data from other observational studies. Retrospective studies have shown that artificial shrinkage of the blastocoelic cavity (also called collapse) and dehydration of the blastocyst just before vitrification can have a positive effect on the survival after warming. This collapse can be induced by using a laser. The study of Iwayama et al. 2010 has shown a similar survival rate but an increase in the implantation rate of collapsed blastocysts compared to non-collapsed blastocysts. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of artificial shrinkage by laser-induced collapse on the implantation potential of vitrified-warmed day 5 or day 6 blastocyst stage embryos in a prospective randomised controlled trial.
Interventions
PROCEDURECollapse
inducing collapse (= artificial shrinkage) by applying 1 or 2 laser pulses between trophectoderm cells of the blastocyst to be vitrified
Sponsors
Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Belgium
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 38 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* female age \<39 years * at least 1 blastocyst available for cryopreservation
Exclusion criteria
* sperm origin: testicular or epididymal sperm extraction * IVM (in-vitro maturation) cycles * PGD cycles (preimplantation genetic diagnosis)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| implantation rate of the embryo in the first frozen transfer cycle | approximately 10 weeks after the first frozen embryo transfer | patients are enrolled in the study at oocyte retrieval. When patient is not pregnant after fresh embryo transfer, she comes back to use the frozen embryos at least one month after the initial inclusion. After the frozen embryo transfer, poshCG is measured 14 days after transfer. Approximately 10 weeks after transfer, implantation rate of the frozen embryos is assessed. This is the number of intra-uterine gestational sacs seen on ultrasound on the number of embryos transferred |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| survival rate of warmed blastocysts | 0-30 minutes | this is the morphological assessment of survival of the blastocyst after warming |
| implantation rate per warmed blastocyst | approximately 10 weeks after first frozen transfer | implantation rate of the transferred embryo per embryo initially warmed in that frozen transfer cycle. |
Countries
Belgium
Outcome results
None listed