Age impact on chromosome and spindle disorganizations in MI and MII oocytes

Oocyte aneuploidies are increased with advancing age in human and these aneuploidies are associated with maternal ageing and result from non-disjunctions and meiotic errors. The objective of this work was to use mouse as a model to study the effect of aging on chromosome and spindle disorganizations in MI and MII CBA/Caj mouse oocytes. Mice were divided to young, [3 months] and aged, [8 months] groups and Swiss Webster mice were used as a double control. The animals were superovulated and the oocytes were retrieved in FHM medium 16h after HCG injection. Immature [MI] and mature [MII] ovulated oocytes were recovered from ampulla and fixed, washed in block-wash solution. Spindle microtubules and chromosomes were visualized using immunofluorescent microscopy with anti beta tubulin monoclonal antibodies and staining with propidium iodide, respectively. The chromosome disorganization rate in MI young oocytes was lower than MII oocytes. The correlation between chromosome and spindle disorganizations was significantly higher in MI and MII oocytes [P<0.05] compared to control. The percentage of the MII oocytes was significantly higher [P<0.01] compared to MI oocytes in the young group but this was not the case in the aged group. This may indicate that the oocyte maturation mechanism was affected adversely by ageing process. In conclusion, the positive correlation between chromosome and spindle disorganizations in MI and MII oocytes may be an indicator for embryo aneuploidy. Ageing induced an increase in the production of ovulated MI versus MII oocytes. CBA/Caj mouse may be used as animal model for study ageing effect on reproductive system

Pregnancy outcome in the luteal defective infertile women following ICSI, embryo transfer and luteal support therapy

Defects in the formation and function of the corpus luteum result in a reduction of progesterone secretion and inadequate secretory transformation of the endometerium. Luteal defective cycles are recognized in 50% of unovulatory patients and 60% of women with recurrent abortions. The goal of the present study was to study the outcome of ICSI in infertile women with mild and marked luteal defective cycles following embryo transfer. Patients and Methods: Women with mild and marked luteal defective cycles were undergone ovulation induction, oocyte retrieval, ICSI and embryo transfer program. Follicular fluid progesterone, estradiol, testosterone were measured. The pregnancy rates in both luteal defective cycles [LDC] were recorded. The concentration of estradiol and progesterone were significantly higher in the mild LDC compared to marked LDC. The concentration of prolactine and testosterone were significantly higher in the marked LDC than mild LDC. The concentrations of FSH and LH were not significantly different between both groups of LDC. The ICSI rate was 74.4% in the mild and 70.7% in the marked LDC. The embryo transfer rate was significantly higher in the mild LDC compared to the marked LDC group [85.2% versus 50% respectively, P<0.001]. The pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was 30.3% in the marked LDC compared to 38% in the mild LDC group. The patient cancellation rates were 13% and 4% in the marked and mild LDC groups. The application of ICSI and luteal support therapy improves embryo implantation and pregnancy rates in infertile women with mild and marked luteal defective cycles and in men with severe teratozoospermia and poor sperm penetration score

clinical significance of luteal support therapy in the stimulate cycle following the transfer of superovulated embryos

Ovulation induction by gonadotropin in in-vitro fertilization [IVF] program results in luteal phase defect [LPD]. Luteal support therapies are considered to be important treatment to support the implantation of transferred superovulated and IVF embryos. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect luteal support protocols [LSP] on embryo implantation of 2-cell, 4-cell, and 8-cell and morulae following superovulation and embryo transfer as an animal model for human embryo transfer. Mature healthy hamsters were superovulated by human menopausal gonadotropin [hMG] and human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG]. Embryo transfer was performed on day 6 of the cycle. The LSP consisted of 0.04 mg progesterone [P]/day, injected intramuscularly [LM, protocol one] and 0.04 mg P plus 2.5 international units [I. U.] hCG/72 hours [Protocol two] and 0.04 mg P plus 2.5 IV plus 0.20 mg/ day intraperitoneal injection of aspirin. All the luteal support protocols started from day 5 to day 16 of the cycle. The animals were divided in to a control and treated groups. The control and treated groups were subdivided into subgroups according to embryo developmental stages [2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell and morulae]. Superovulation [SO] caused a significant [P<0.01] increase in the number of morphologically abnormal embryos compared to the control group. The implantation rates of the SO embryos were significantly [P<0.05] decreased compared to the control group. The implantation rates of the 8-cell and morula embryos of the SO group were significantly higher than the 1-cell and 2-cell embryos in protocol's one, two and three. Significantly higher implantation rates of all the embryo stages were observed in protocol three compared to protocols two and one. It was concluded from the results of the study that SO markedly affected luteal function of the corpus luteum and reduced embryo implantation. Luteal support protocols particularly supplementation of progesterone with HCG and aspirin resulted in significant improvements in the implantation of 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell and morula embryos