Relationships between timing of syngamy, female age and implantation potential in human in vitro-fertilised oocytes
Celine Lawler A D , H. W. Gordon Baker A B C and David H. Edgar A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Melbourne IVF, 320 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Vic. 3002, Australia.
B Reproductive Services, Royal Women’s Hospital, 132 Grattan Street, Carlton, Vic. 3053, Australia.
C Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Royal Women’s Hospital, 132 Grattan Street, Carlton, Vic. 3053, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: celine@mivf.com.au
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 19(3) 482-487 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD06127
Submitted: 20 September 2006 Accepted: 8 February 2007 Published: 19 March 2007
Abstract
Although early developmental markers are frequently used to select embryos for transfer in human assisted reproduction, their value as independent predictors of outcome is often unclear. In this study, the value of using early syngamy and first cleavage as predictors of implantation potential of Day 2 embryos was investigated by examining their interrelationships with subsequent development, female age and implantation. Implantation rates were higher when syngamy occurred before 23–24 h post insemination even when all embryos analysed were transferred 42 h post insemination at the 4-cell stage (25.8 v. 11.9% for the later syngamy group; P < 0.01). Although there was a significant (r = 0.682; P < 0.001) relationship between earlier entry into syngamy and female age, earlier syngamy was still associated with a significantly higher implantation rate in Day 2 embryos with four blastomeres in women under 36 years of age (31.4 v. 15.4% for the later syngamy group; P < 0.05). The ability of timing of syngamy to predict implantation independent of other variables was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Although related to both subsequent embryo development and female age, early entry into syngamy is a predictor of implantation potential independent of both correlates in human Day 2 in vitro-fertilised embryos.
Additional keywords: embryo development, human assisted reproduction.
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