• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.210-214
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• 2022

Objective: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has received a considerable attention as an adjunct to fertility treatments, especially in women with very low ovarian reserve and premature ovarian insufficiency. Although recent studies have demonstrated that PRP led to improvements in folliculogenesis and biomarkers of ovarian reserve, the effect of intraovarian PRP administration on embryo genetics has not been studied. Methods: We report a pilot study of patients who had preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) before and then within 3 months following PRP administration. Twelve infertile women with at least one prior failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle underwent ovarian stimulation (cycle 1) with a gentle stimulation protocol and PGT-A performed at the blastocyst stage. Following cycle 1, autologous intraovarian PRP administration was performed. Within 3 months following PRP administration, the patients underwent cycle 2 and produced blastocysts for PGT-A. The percentage of euploid embryos between both cycles was compared. Results: The mean age of all participants was 40.08±1.46 years, and their mean body mass index was 26.18±1.18 kg/m². The number of good-quality embryos formed at the blastocyst stage was similar between cycle 1 and cycle 2 (3.08±0.88 vs. 2.17±0.49, respectively; p=0.11). Among all patients in cycle 1, 3 of 37 embryos were euploid (8.11%) while in cycle 2, 11 out of 28 embryos were euploid (39.28%, p=0.002). Three clinical pregnancies were noted among this patient group. Conclusion: This novel study is the first to present an improvement in the embryo euploidy rate following intraovarian PRP application in infertile women with prior failed IVF cycles. The growth factors present in PRP may exhibit a local paracrine effect that could improve meiotic aberrations in human oocytes and thus improve euploidy rates. Whether PRP improves live birth rates and lowers miscarriage rates remains to be determined in large trials.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2005

Heterotopic pregnancy is named when an extrauterine (ectopic) pregnancy coexists with an intrauterine pregnancy simultaneously by many causes such as PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), endometriosis, IUD (intrauterine device), previous pelvic surgery and others. This is very rare in general population, with a range of occurrence estimated between 1:7963 and 1:30000. But recently the incidence has increased as the uses of ARTs (assisted reproductive technologies) including ovulation induction, IVF-ET (in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer) and GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer) increase. Because this has high maternal morbidity, mortality and fetal loss, early diagnosis and proper management is very important. We report a case of heterotopic pregnancy following IVF-ET with a brief review.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1996

다배란 수정란이식(MOET)과 체외수정(IVF)기술을 이용한 육종체계에서 예상되는 유전적 개량량을 여러 집단의 크기에서 비교한 결과 체외수정기술이 MOET육종기술보다 특히 개량대상 유전력이 낮을때 훨씬 효율적으로 나타났다. 그러나 유전력이 높아지면 (h$^2$=0.3, 0.5), MOET와 IVF간의 상대적 차이는 미진하게 나타났다. 체외수정을 이용한 육종기술에서 암컷의 선발 강도는 대단히 높일 수 있는 반면 난자의 회수율이 많을수록 상대적으로 수컷에 대한 선발 강도는 낮아진다. 그 이유는 한 가계에서 근친을 피하기 위해 한 마리의 수컷만 선발해야 하므로 수소의 선발강도는 난자의 회수율이 높을수록 상대적으로 낮아진다. 여러 수준의 난자회수율(10, 20, 30, 50, 100)중에서 30일 때 가장 높은 유전적 개량을 나타내었다. (Key word: MOET, IVF,selection responses)

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 2019

Objective: As paternal age increases, the quality of sperm decreases due to increased DNA fragmentation and aneuploidy. Higher levels of structural chromosomal aberrations in the gametes ultimately decrease both the morphologic quality of embryos and the pregnancy rate. In this study, we investigated whether paternal age affected the euploidy rate. Methods: This study was performed using the medical records of patients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) from January 2016 to August 2017 at a single center. Based on their morphological grade, embryos were categorized as good- or poor-quality blastocysts. The effects of paternal age were elucidated by adjusting for maternal age. Results: Among the 571 total blastocysts, 219 euploid blastocysts were analyzed by PGS (38.4%). When the study population was divided into four groups according to both maternal and paternal age, significant differences were only noted between groups that differed by maternal age (group 1 vs. 3, p= 0.031; group 2 vs. 4, p= 0.027). Further analysis revealed no significant differences in the euploidy rate among the groups according to the morphological grade of the embryos. Conclusion: Paternal age did not have a significant impact on euploidy rates when PGS was performed. An additional study with a larger sample size is needed to clarify the effects of advanced paternal age on IVF outcomes.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2024

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with twin pregnancy following day 3 double embryo transfer (DET). Methods: This retrospective cohort study incorporated data from 16,972 day 3 DET cycles. The participants were women aged between 18 and 45 years who underwent in vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) at My Duc Assisted Reproduction Technique Unit (IVFMD), My Duc Hospital, located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Results: Of the 16,972 day 3 DET cycles investigated, 8,812 (51.9%) resulted in pregnancy. Of these, 6,108 cycles led to clinical pregnancy, with 1,543 (25.3% of clinical pregnancies) being twin pregnancies. Factors associated with twin pregnancy included age under 35 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32 to 1.71; p<0.001) and cycles involving the transfer of at least one grade I embryo. Relative to the transfer of two grade III embryos, the risk of twin pregnancy was significantly elevated following the transfer of two grade I embryos (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.69; p<0.001) or a combination of one grade I and one grade II embryo (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.55; p=0.001). Conclusion: By analyzing a large number of IVF/ICSI cycles, we identified several predictors of twin pregnancy. These findings can assist medical professionals in tailoring treatment strategies for couples with infertility.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1102-1110
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• 2016

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cellular processes such as cell growth, metabolism, transcription, translation, and autophagy. Rapamycin is a selective inhibitor of mTOR, and induces autophagy in various systems. Autophagy contributes to clearance and recycling of macromolecules and organelles in response to stress. We previously reported that vitrified-warmed mouse oocytes show acute increases in autophagy during warming, and suggested that it is a natural response to cold stress. In this follow-up study, we examined whether the modulation of autophagy influences survival, fertilization, and developmental rates of vitrified-warmed mouse oocytes. We used rapamycin to enhance autophagy in metaphase II (MII) oocytes before and after vitrification. The oocytes were then subjected to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The fertilization and developmental rates of vitrified-warmed oocytes after rapamycin treatment were significantly lower than those for control groups. Modulation of autophagy with rapamycin treatment shows that rapamycin-induced autophagy exerts a negative influence on fertilization and development of vitrified-warmed oocytes.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.173-182
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• 2001

The present study was carried out to examine the effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) on in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine follicular oocytes and oxygen concentration with SOD on in vitro development (IVD) of porcine IVM/IVF embryos. The results were summarized as follows : 1. The rates of nuclear maturation, penetrated oocytes, polyspermic oocytes and mean numbers of the penetrated sperm were not different in the NCSU-23 maturation media with 0, 100, 500 and 1,000 units/ml SOD. However. the pronucleus formation rates were significantly lower in oocytes matured with addition groups than those of no addition groups of SOD (P>0.05). 2. The rates of blastocyst formation and total cell numbers of blastocyst at day 7 after in vitro fertilization were significantly lower in addition groups than those of the no addition groups of SOD (P>0.05). 3. The rates of blastocyst formation at day 7 after in vitro fertilization were higher in the NCSU-23 culture medium with 100 units/ml SOD than in those cultured with 0, 500 and 1,000 units/ml SOD under the 5% and 20% $O_2$concentrations. However, no differences was found in the total cell numbers of blastocyst among the treatments. In conclusion, these results suggested that the addition of SOD was not adequate for porcine oocyte maturation and further development, also the rates of blastocyst formation and total cell numbers of blastocyst at day 7 of porcine IVM/IVF embryos were not different in the NCSU-23 culture medium under the 5% and 20% $O_2$concentrations.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.413-421
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• 1997

In vitro culture has provided new information on the mechanisms involved in fertilization how sperm and oocyte fuse together. At the same time, results obtained in vitro have led to new questions. Techniques for In vitro maturation of porcine oocytes have progressed such that the problem of the low rate of pronucleus formation with in vitro matured oocytes after in vitro fertilization has been nearly improved. On the other hand, porcine spermatozoa have been shown to be capacitated if the fertilization medium contains caffeine and Ca$^2+$, but the incidence of polyspermy in IVM-IVF oocytes is still high. To prevent polyspermy, co-culture with oviductal cells, sperm preincubation with porcine follicular fluid or control of sperm concentration, have been examined with significant effects but still remarkably high rates of polyspermy. The under standing of these influences is a prerequisite to enhancing in vitro production of porcine em bryos.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2002

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of the maturation media such as a modified TCM-199 (mTCM-199) medium, modified Waymouth MB 752/1 (mWaymouth MB 752/1) medium or NCSU-23 medium on penetrability of pig oocytes by liquid boar sperm. Oocytes (30~40) were transferred into each well of a Nunc 4-well multidish containing 0.5 $m\ell$ maturation medium. When immature pig oocytes were cultured in mTCM-199, mWaymouth MB 752/1 and NCSU-23 maturation media for 44 h in 5% $CO_2$, in air at 38.5$^{\circ}C$, the germinal vesicle breakdown (CVBD) rates of the oocytes were 95.6, 94.1 and 94.9%, respectively, and the maturation rates (metaphase II) of oocytes were 92.5, 90.1 and 91.1%, respectively. No differences were observed among the maturation media. The spermrich portion of ejaculates with greater than 90% motile sperm were used in the experiment. The semen was cooled 22 to 24$^{\circ}C$ over 2 h period. The semen was diluted with Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS) extender at room temperature to give 2$\times$10$^{8}$ sperm/$m\ell$ in 100 $m\ell$ plastic bottle. Liquid boar semen of 30 $m\ell$ in 100 $m\ell$ plastic bottle was kept at 17$^{\circ}C$ for 5 days. The sperm with greater than 70% motility after day 5 of storage were used for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). After 44 h maturation of immature oocytes, cumulus cells were removed and oocytes (30~40) coincubated far 6 h in 0.5 $m\ell$ mTCM-199 and mTBM fertilization media with 2$\times$1061$m\ell$ sperm concentration. At 6 h after IVF, oocytes were transferred into 0.5 $m\ell$ mTCM-199 and NCSU-23 culture media for further culture 6 or 42 h. Sperm penetration, polyspermy and male pronuclear formation of oocytes at 12 h after IVF, and developmental ability of oocytes at 48 h after IVF were evaluated. The oocytes in combination with NCSU-23 medium for maturation and mTBM medium for IVF increased male pronuclear formation (48.0%) compared to those in combination with mTCM-199 media for maturation and IVF, and mWaymouth MB 752il medium for maturation and mTCM-199 medium far IVF. The rates of cleaved embryos (2~4 cell stage) at 48 h after IVF were 24.1% in combination with mTCM-199 media for maturation, IVF and culture, 43.6% in combination with mWaymouth MB 75211 medium fur maturation and mTCM-199 media for IVF and culture, and 71.2% in combination with NCSU-23 medium for maturation, mTBM medium for IVF and NCSU-23 medium for culture. In conclusion, we found out the oocytes matured in vitro were fertilized by liquid boar sperm stored in BTS extender at 17$^{\circ}C$ for 5 days. We recommend the simple defined NCSU-23 medium for nuclear maturation, mTBM medium and liquid boar sperm for IVF, and NCSU-23 medium for embryo culture.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

This study was conducted to examine the role of intact cumulus cells during in vitro fertilization (IVF) on sperm penetration, male pronuclear (MPN) formation and subsequent embryo development of oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro. Cumulus-oocyte complexes obtained from the slaughtered gilt ovaries were matured for 44 h in TCM199 containing 10% porcine follicular fluid, epidermal growth factor and hormones. After maturation culture, denuded oocytes or oocytes with intact cumulus cells were coincubated with frozen-thawed boar semen for 8h in a modified tris-buffered medium containing 5mM caffeine and 10mM calcium chloride. Putative zygotes were fixed and examined for sperm penetration and MPN formation (Experiments $1{\sim}3$), or cultured in North Carolina State University-23 medium fo. 156 h (Experiment 3). In Experiment 1, sperm penetration was examined after insemination of denuded oocytes and oocytes with intact cumulus cells at the concentration of $7.5{\times}10^5$ sperm/ml. Optimal sperm concentration for IVF of cumulus-intact oocytes was determined in Experiment 2 by inseminating intact oocytes with $2{\sim}5{\times}10^6$ sperm/ml. In Experiment 3, denuded or intact oocytes were inseminated at the concentrations of $7.5{\times}10^5$ and $4.0{\times}10^6$ sperm/ml, respectively, and in vitro embryo development was compared. Sperm penetration was significantly (p<0.01) decreased in cumulus-intact oocytes compared to denuded oocytes (35.2% vs. 77.4%). Based on the rates of sperm penetration and normal fertilization, the concentration of $4.0{\times}10^6$ sperm/ml was optimal for the IVF of intact oocytes compared to other sperm concentrations. The presence of intact cumulus cells during IVF significantly (p<0.05) improved embryo cleavage (48.8% vs. 58.9%), blastocyst (BL) formation (11.0% vs. 22.8%) and embryo cell number $(22{\pm}2\;vs.\;29{\pm}2\;cells)$ compared to denuded oocytes. In conclusion, these results suggest that intact cumulus cells during IVF inhibit sperm penetration but improve embryo cleavage, BL formation and embryo cell number of porcine embryos produced in vitro.