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Total fertilization failure: is it the end of the story?

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To study parameters that could predict in-vitro fertilization (IVF) success in patients who experienced total fertilization failure (TFF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in their previous cycles.

Methods

Cycle characteristics of patients with TFF (Group I, n = 136 cycles), cycles resulting in embryo transfer (ET) following TFF (Group II, n = 36 cycles) and recurrent TFF (Group III, n = 25 cycles) and were studied retrospectively. Demographic features, cycle characteristics of three groups were compared.

Results

Follicle count measuring 15–17 mm was significantly higher in group II when compared to group I (p = 0.02). Total number of retrieved oocytes and mature oocytes were significantly higher in group II when compared to groups I and III (p = 0.001). Estradiol level at oocyte pick up (OPU) day was significantly higher in group II when compared to group I (p = 0.02). When the characteristics of ET cycles and preceding TFF cycles of the same patient were compared, total number of retrieved oocytes (5.11 ± 0.72 (95 % CI 3.69–6.52) vs. 11.44 ± 1.60 (95 % CI 5.29–17.59)) and mature oocytes (3.26 ± 3.66 (95 % CI 2.04–4.47) vs. 6.92 ± 5.61 (95 % CI 5.09–8.75)) were found to be significantly lower in TFF cycles (p = 0.001). Five biochemical and 5 clinical pregnancies occurred while only 2 healthy babies were born, corresponding to a live birth rate 5.5 %.

Conclusions

Increasing the number of retrieved and mature oocytes may increase the success of fertilization in patients with a history of previous failed fertilization. However, live birth rate is still low in embryo transfer cycles.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Etlik Zubeyde Hanım Women’s Health Teaching and Research Hospital, Etlik Caddesi No:55, Ankara, Turkey

    Inci Kahyaoglu, Berfu Demir, Berna Dilbaz & Leyla Mollamahmutoglu

  2. Center of Assisted Reproduction, Etlik Zubeyde Hanım Women’s Health Teaching and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Ayten Turkkanı

  3. Department of Embryology and Histology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey

    Ozgur Cınar

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duzce University Faculty of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey

    Serdar Dilbaz

Authors
  1. Inci Kahyaoglu
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  2. Berfu Demir
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  3. Ayten Turkkanı
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  4. Ozgur Cınar
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  5. Serdar Dilbaz
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  6. Berna Dilbaz
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  7. Leyla Mollamahmutoglu
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Correspondence to Berfu Demir.

Additional information

Capsule Increasing the number of retrieved and mature oocytes may increase the success of cycles in patients with previous history of total fertilization failure.

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Kahyaoglu, I., Demir, B., Turkkanı, A. et al. Total fertilization failure: is it the end of the story?. J Assist Reprod Genet 31, 1155–1160 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0281-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0281-5

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