Meiotic spindle normality predicts live birth in patients with recurrent in vitro fertilization failure

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact of meiotic spindle normality on live birth rates in women with recurrent IVF failure.

Design: A retrospective comparative study.

Setting: A large private sector IVF service in Sydney, Australia.

Patient(s): Five hundred five intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)/ET cycles of patients who fulfilled the criteria for recurrent IVF failure, three or more previous fresh or frozen ETs with no ongoing pregnancy.

Intervention(s): Polarized light microscopy was used at the time of ICSI.

Main outcome measure(s): Clinical pregnancy rates (PR) and live birth rates (LBR) were compared depending on the morphology of the meiotic spindle of the oocyte(s) from which the embryo(s) were transferred.

Result(s): Women receiving embryos where at least one was derived from a normally spindled oocyte had significantly increased clinical PR and LBR when compared with those who had only embryos derived from abnormally spindled oocytes (clinical PR: 31% vs. 7%; odds ratio [OR], 6.45; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.65-11.40) and (LBR: 24% vs. 4%; OR, 7.24; 95% CI 3.62-14.49). Comparison between the abnormal spindle groups showed significantly higher clinical PR and LBR from the group of patients receiving embryos where at least one was derived from an oocyte with no visible spindle compared with the group receiving embryos from dysmorphic spindles only (clinical PR: 9% vs. 6%; OR, 0.58; 95% CI 0.22-1.57 and LBR: 8% vs. 1%; OR, 0.16; 95% CI 0.03-0.77).

Conclusion(s): Normally spindled oocytes, as determined by polarized light microscopy, are associated with significantly higher clinical PRs in patients with recurrent IVF failure.

Keywords: Polarized light microscopy; clinical pregnancy rates; live birth rates; recurrent IVF failure.