Authors: Abdul Munaf S. Ahamed, Fonseka R.M.R, Begum, M, Sourour A, Dixon M
Objective: To investigate fertilization, blastocyst formation, and implantation rates in recurrent pregnancy loss patients when Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) enriched media is used for embryo culture and Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).
Methods: Embryos from 48 IVF cycles were cultured in either G-TL or Sage 1 Step GM-CSF with HSA prior to vitrification on day 5 or 6. On the day of FET, all embryos were thawed and placed in Sage 1 Step GM-CSF with HSA for 2 hours prior to transfer. Implantation was determined two weeks after each FET through serum hCG tests, with levels > 5mIU/mL considered successful implantation.
Results: The implantation rate of embryos cultured in G-TL and transferred in GM-CSF enriched media was 51.85%. When embryos were placed in GM-CSF enriched media for embryo culture and transfer, fertilization rate, blastocyst formation, and implantation rates were 80.2%, 46.6%, and 71% respectively.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the use of GM-CSF media for embryo culture and transfer lead to promising implantation rates.
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