Does reducing gamete co-incubation time improve clinical outcomes: a retrospective study

• Published in: Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 33 - 38
• Main Authors: Li, Rui-Qi, Ouyang, Neng-Yong, Ou, Song-Bang, Ni, Ren-Min, Mai, Mei-Qi, Zhang, Qing-Xue, Yang, Dong-Zi, Wang, Wen-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.01.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abortion, Spontaneous - epidemiology; Adult; Assisted Reproduction Technologies; Clinical outcomes; Embryo Implantation; Embryo Transfer - methods; Female; Fertilization in Vitro; Germ Cells - growth & development; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Live Birth - epidemiology; Maternal Age; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Rate; Reproductive Medicine; Live birth rate; Miscarriage rate; Fertility; Gamete co-incubation
• ISSN: 1058-0468; 1573-7330
• DOI: 10.1007/s10815-015-0618-8

Purpose The objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) benefit from reducing the gamete co-incubation time. Methods Patients ( n  = 570) were enrolled, including 281 patients in the reduced incubation time group (2-h incubation) and 289 patients in the standard IVF group (18-h incubation). Results The observed outcomes, including the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR), live birth rate (LBR), and miscarriage rate (MR), were similar between the two groups. When the data were divided into two subgroups based on the maternal age (≤30 and >30 years), the rates of top-quality embryos (30.83 vs. 25.89 %; p  = 0.028), CPR (66.67 vs. 42.11 %; p  = 0.013), and IR (41.90 vs. 31.25 %, p  = 0.019) of the 2-h incubation group were significantly higher in the younger subgroup. However, for older patients, only a lower MR (7.59 vs. 20.83 %; p  = 0.019) was achieved. Reducing the time of incubation still improved the CPR (OR = 1.993, 95 % CI 1.141–3.480) and MR (OR = 3.173, 95 % CI 1.013–9.936) in the younger and older subgroups, respectively, after it was adjusted for potential confounders. Conclusions Reducing incubation time improves the clinical results of IVF, although the LBR is not statistically different between the 2- and 18-h incubation time groups. And the specific clinical outcomes of reducing incubation time varied between the >30-year-old and the ≤30-year-old.