Abstract
Embryo development in vitro is dependent on many factors. It is mainly dependent on its own intrinsic potential (which depends on the couple characteristics and the response to the ovarian stimulation) and the conditions of culture. Human embryo culture, as other cell cultures, relies on external conditions for the well-being of the embryo. The main physical parameters are pH, temperature, light, and gas phase (carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations) besides media composition. Incubators (as reviewed in Chap. 9) are designed to control these parameters during culture. Oocytes and embryos stay in them most of the time they spend in the laboratory. But everyday, for some time, they are taken outside the incubator to be observed or for changing media. It is common knowledge that the less time they spend outside the incubator, better embryo quality and gestational results we get. So in the last 20 years, IVF settings have evolved from cell culture standard laboratories with room temperature stages to specifically designed embryo-friendly settings specialized in embryo manipulation and culture with their own specifically designed equipment. Some of these improvements are reviewed in this chapter.
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Prados, N., Varghese, A.C. (2012). IVF Workstations. In: Nagy, Z., Varghese, A., Agarwal, A. (eds) Practical Manual of In Vitro Fertilization. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1780-5_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1780-5_10
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