Effect of frozen-thawed embryo transfer with a poor-quality embryo and a good-quality embryo on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of embryo quality and quantity, specifically a poor quality embryo (PQE) in combination with a good quality embryo (GQE), by double embryo transfer (DET) on the live birth rate (LBR) and neonatal outcomes in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. METHODS: A study on a cohort of women who underwent a total of 1462 frozen-thawed cleavage or blastocyst embryo transfer cycles with autologous oocytes was conducted between January 2018 and December 2021. To compare the outcomes between single embryo transfer (SET) with a GQE and DET with a GQE and a PQE, propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to control for potential confounders, and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used to determine the association between the effect of an additional PQE and the outcomes. Subgroup analysis was also performed for patients stratified by female age. RESULTS: After PS matching, DET-GQE + PQE did not significantly alter the LBR (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.421, 95% CI 0.907-2.228) compared with SET-GQE in cleavage-stage embryo transfer but did increase the multiple birth rate (MBR, [OR] 3.917, 95% CI 1.189-12.911). However, in patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, adding a second PQE increased the live birth rate by 7.8% ([OR] 1.477, 95% CI 1.046-2.086) and the multiple birth rate by 19.6% ([OR] 28.355, 95% CI 3.926-204.790), and resulted in adverse neonatal outcomes. For patients who underwent cleavage-stage embryo transfer, transferring a PQE with a GQE led to a significant increase in the MBR ([OR] 4.724, 95% CI 1.121-19.913) in women under 35 years old but not in the LBR ([OR] 1.227, 95% CI 0.719-2.092). The increases in LBR and MBR for DET-GQE + PQE compared with SET-GQE in women older than 35 years were nonsignificant toward. For patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, DET-GQE + PQE had a greater LBR ([OR] 1.803, 95% CI 1.165-2.789), MBR ([OR] 24.185, 95% CI 3.285-178.062) and preterm birth rate (PBR, [OR] 4.092, 95% CI 1.153-14.518) than did SET-GQE in women under 35 years old, while no significant impact on the LBR ([OR] 1.053, 95% CI 0.589-1.884) or MBR (0% vs. 8.3%) was observed in women older than 35 years. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a PQE has no significant benefit on the LBR but significantly increases the MBR in patients who underwent frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryo transfer. However, for patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, DET-GQE + PQE resulted in an increase in both the LBR and MBR, which may lead to adverse neonatal outcomes. Thus, the benefits and risks of double blastocyst-stage embryo transfer should be balanced. In patients younger than 35 years, SET-GQE achieved satisfactory LBR either in cleavage-stage embryo transfer or blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, while DET-GQE + PQE resulted in a dramatically increased MBR. Considering the low LBR in women older than 35 years who underwent single cleavage-stage embryo transfer, selective single blastocyst-stage embryo transfer appears to be a more promising approach for reducing the risk of multiple live births and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Dexamethasone application for in vitro fertilisation in non-classic 17-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase-deficient women.

Context: High progesterone levels in the follicular stage interfere with the implantation window, causing infertility in women with 17-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency (17OHD). Dexamethasone can restore cortisol deficiency and suppress inappropriate mineralocorticoid secretion to control hypertension in 17OHD patients, but poses risks to the foetus if administered during pregnancy. Objective: We prospectively explored a rational glucocorticoid use protocol for assistive reproduction in a woman with non-classic 17OHD that reduced glucocorticoid side effects. Method: In this study, the treatment protocol for this 17OHD patient included the following steps. First, the appropriate type and dose of glucocorticoid for endogenous progesterone suppression was determined. Then, glucocorticoid was discontinued to increase endogenous progesterone levels for ovarian stimulation. Next, dexamethasone plus GnRHa were used to reduce progesterone levels in frozen embryos for transfer. Once pregnancy was confirmed, dexamethasone was discontinued until delivery. Results: Dexamethasone, but not hydrocortisone, reduced progesterone levels in the 17OHD woman. After endogenous progesterone-primed ovarian stimulation, 11 oocytes were retrieved. Seven oocytes were 2PN fertilised and four day-3 and two day-5 embryos were cryopreserved. After administering dexamethasone plus gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) to reduce progesterone levels to normal, hormone replacement therapy was administered until the endometrial width reached 9 mm. Exogenous progesterone (60 mg/day) was used for endometrial preparation. Two thawed embryos were transferred on day 4. Dexamethasone was continued until pregnancy confirmation on the 13th day post-transfer. Two healthy boys, weighing 2100 and 2000 g, were delivered at 36 weeks' gestation. Conclusion: Rational use of dexamethasone synchronised embryonic development with the endometrial implantation window, while not using in post-implantation avoided its side effects and promoted healthy live births in women non-classic 17OHD undergoing in vitro fertilisation.

[Testicular histology does not affect the clinical outcomes of ICSI in men with non-obstructive azoospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether testicular histology influences the clinical outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 73 cases of NOA undergoing ICSI, including 105 ICSI cycles and 79 embryo transfer cycles. The infertility of the patients was attributed to male factors only or both male and female tube factors and the females' age was ≤38 years. Based on testicular histology, we divided the ICSI cycles into three groups: hypospermatogenesis (HS, n = 72), maturation arrest (MA, n = 21) and Sertoli cells only (SCO, n = 12). We recorded and analyzed the age of both the males and females, infertility duration, base follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level, dose and days of gonadotropin (Gn) administration, estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration, endometrial thickness, number of metaphase II (MII) oocytes, and rates of fertilization, transferrable embryos, high-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy, and abortion. RESULTS: The rates of fertilization, failed fertilization, transferrable embryos, and high-quality embryos, and the average number of transferred embryos were 67.03% (553/825), 9.52% (10/105), 85.66% (472/551), 35.03% (193/551), and 2.10, respectively, resulting in 44 pregnancies (55.70%) and 42 live births (53.16%), with no birth defects. No statistically significant differences were observed among the HS, MA and SCO groups in the mean age of the men and women, infertility duration, base FSH level, Gn dose, Gn days, E2 and P levels on the hCG day, endometrial thickness, or number of MII oocytes, nor in the rates of fertilization (68.51% vs 64.39% vs 61.45%), transferrable embryos (85.05% vs 90.48% vs 83.05%), or high-quality embryos (33.09% vs 41.67% vs 38.98%). The rates of clinical pregnancy and embryo implantation were higher in the HS (60.00% and 37.61%) and SCO (62.50% and 50.00%) than in the MA group (37.50% and 21.21%), but with no statistically significant differences (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Once testicular sperm is retrieved, desirable clinical outcomes can be achieved in ICSI for NOA patients, which is not affected by testicular histopathology.

[Testicular sperm cryopreservation for male fertility preservation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of testicular sperm cryopreservation in male fertility preservation by evaluating the clinical outcome of ICSI cycles with frozen-thawed testicular sperm for azoospermia patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 96 samples of cryopreserved testicular sperm obtained by testicular biopsy, vasovasostomy (V-V), vasoepididymostomy (V-E) , of which 55 were subjected to 60 ICSI cycles with frozen-thawed testicular sperm. We evaluated the rates of sperm recovery, fertilization, cleavage, transferable and good-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy, pregnancy outcome, and health of the newborns. RESULTS: All the frozen testicular sperm samples were recovered successfully. The rates of fertilization, 2PN fertilization, cleavage, available embryos and good-quality embryos were 77.6, 69.4, 99.4, 84.5 and 40.8%, respectively. There were transferable embryos in all cycles. Fresh embryos were transferred in 52 of the 60 cycles, with the clinical pregnancy rate of 57.7% (30/52), including 19 singletons and 11 twins, and the rates of implantation and miscarriage were 38.7% (41/106) and 3.33% (1/30). Up to the present time, there have been 20 healthy newborns, including 12 boys and 8 girls, and another 13 ongoing pregnancies. No birth defects have been found so far. CONCLUSION: Desirable clinical outcomes can be obtained from ICSI cycles with frozen-thawed testicular sperm, and testicular sperm cryopreservation is an effective method of fertility preservation for azoospermia males.

Translocation of classical PKC and cortical granule exocytosis of human oocyte in germinal vesicle and metaphase II stage.

AIM: Protein kinase C (PKC) is as a family of serine/threonine kinases that can be activated by Ca2+, phospholipid and diacylglycerol. PKC plays an important role in oocyte maturation and activation. This study was undertaken to investigate classical PKC (cPKC) in human oocyte maturation and activation. METHODS: Germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase II (MII) stage oocytes were collected from healthy women. The expression and distribution of cPKC were investigated by immunoflourescence. MII oocytes were treated with PKC activator or inhibitor and imaged using a laser confocal scanning microscope (LCSM). RESULTS: In GV oocytes, PKCalpha, beta1 and gamma were localized to the germinal vesicles, with a weak expression in ooplasm. In MII oocytes, PKCalpha, beta1 and gamma were distributed evenly in ooplasm. After treatment with PKC activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), cPKC translocated to the periphery of oocyte, and cortical granules (CG) exocytosis was found. When the oocytes were treated with PKC inhibitor, staurosporine, no translocation of cPKC and CG exocytosis were found. CONCLUSION: PKCalpha, beta1 and gamma exist in human oocytes and activation of these subunits could induce CG exocytosis in MII stage.