A study by Instituto Bernabeu determines that individual embryo culture improves the rate of useful embryos for transfer.
June, 17th 2024
- The research has been published in the ‘Reproductive Sciences’ journal and has been led by the researcher Miguel Herreros.
- The study determines that individual culture produces up to 8% more useful embryos.
Researcher Miguel Herreros, from the IVF laboratory team at Instituto Bernabeu Alicante, has published a study in the ‘Reproductive Sciences’ journal determining that individual embryo culture improves the rate of blastocyst formation and embryo quality compared to group culture. This study, carried out prospectively and randomised, analysed a total of 830 embryos from 103 oocyte donation treatments.
The study’s objective was to determine which method of embryo culture (individual or group) obtained better results in terms of blastocyst rate, embryo quality and number of useful embryos (transferable and/or vitrifiable). In addition, implantation and pregnancy rates were evaluated in both groups.
The study’s results showed that single culture produces up to 8% more useful embryos at the end of treatment. These embryos have a higher developmental potential and can be transferred to the uterus or vitrified for later use. It also increases the rate of blastocyst formation, i.e. embryos at a more advanced stage of development with a higher probability of successful implantation. And also, embryos of better quality, as the individually cultured embryos showed better development and less fragmentation.
‘The results of this study have important implications for assisted reproduction clinics, especially for those without time-lapse incubators. Single embryo culture is a simple and inexpensive procedure that can significantly improve IVF treatment outcomes,’ explains Miguel Herreros. ‘With these results, clinics that do not have time-lapse culture systems can opt for individual embryo culture to improve their laboratory results,’ he adds.