A study by Instituto Bernabeu reveals that the use of conventional IVF should be prioritised over ICSI in oocyte donation cycles without male factor

Biologist Ángel Linares, from Instituto Bernabeu, presented at the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF in Spanish) National Congress, the results of a study that questions the routine use of ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) in oocyte donation treatments without associated male factor.

The study, which was conducted retrospectively on 568 total oocytes obtained between 2017 and 2022, compares the results of ICSI with those of conventional IVF (c-IVF) in the same oocyte cohort of each patient. “Our aim is to bring clarity to the eternal confrontation between ICSI and c-IVF outcomes, especially when there is no male factor in oocyte donation cycles,” explains Linares.

The study results show that there are no significant differences in terms of quality, yield and potential of embryos generated by both techniques. “These results lead us to question the current tendency to use ICSI routinely in oocyte donation cycles without male factor,” says Linares, who continues: “ICSI is a more complex technique and also requires greater manipulation of the gametes, even though it provides results comparable to those of c-IVF”.

Based on these results, the study led by Ángel Linares, advocates that c-IVF should be the priority fertilisation technique in oocyte donation cycles without male factor, as long as the requirements established in the study are met. “This research contributes to the individualisation of fertility treatments, allowing us to offer patients the fertilisation technique with the highest probability of success,” concludes Linares.

The selection of the correct fertilisation technique represents one of the most important issues in the in vitro fertilisation laboratory, with the aim of providing and favouring the best possible result.