Increased responsiveness may be associated with tripronuclear embryos in both conventional in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist long protocols: a self-matched observational study.

AIMS

In this self-matched observational study, the factors associated with the presence of tripronuclear (3PN) embryos, in conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist long protocols, were investigated.

MATERIAL & METHODS: Clinical parameters were analyzed in 202 consecutive IVF-IVF or ICSI-ICSI matched cycles. The differences between the former and latter cycles were evaluated and compared according to the presence of 3PN embryos: group A [3PN (-) followed by 3PN (-)]; group B [3PN (-) followed by 3PN (+)]; group C [3PN (+) followed by 3PN (-)]; group D [3PN (+) followed by 3PN (+)].

RESULTS

For the IVF-IVF cycles, the E(2) on human chorionic gonadotropin injection day and the number of retrieved oocytes were increased in the 3PN (+) cycles compared to the 3PN (-) cycles of Groups B (2165.2 ± 1423.3 pg/mL vs 1468.2 ± 796.2 pg/mL, P=0.016; 10.4 ± 9.1 vs 7.2 ± 5.7, P=0.010) and C (2382.7 ± 1214.5 pg/mL vs 1553.0 ± 1119.6 pg/mL, P = 0.004; 13.1 ± 9.1 vs 9.1 ± 7.0, P < 0.001), while these outcome variables did not differ when the former and latter cycles in Groups A and D were compared. These trends were observed in the ICSI-ICSI cycles.

CONCLUSIONS

An increased responsiveness, based on the higher E(2) and greater number of retrieved oocytes, may be associated with the presence of 3PN in both conventional IVF and ICSI cycles.