Is there an association between artificial sweetener consumption and assisted reproduction outcomes?

Previous studies have suggested an association between high intake of sweetened beverages and a number of adverse health outcomes. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the association between daily consumption of sweetened soft drinks or coffee and the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Patients (n = 524) were interviewed by a nutritionist before ICSI treatment, using a food frequency questionnaire. Regression analysis showed that consumption of ≥3 servings of regular soft drinks or any amount of diet soft drinks was associated with oocyte dysmorphism, diminished embryo quality on days 2 and 3 of culture, and a mild effect on blastocyst formation, implantation and pregnancy rate. Consumption of artificially sweetened coffee was negatively associated with embryo quality on days 2 and 3. However, consumption of coffee or soft drinks was not associated with the odds of live birth. Even so, patients should be advised about the potential negative effects of sugar and artificial sweeteners before attempting infertility treatment. This study is limited by the use of a non-validated food frequency questionnaire, lack of information on quantity of sweeteners consumed, and lack of data on glucose levels in blood serum or follicular fluid. Further investigation is warranted.

A prospective randomized study comparing two commercially available types of human embryo culture media: G1-PLUS™/G2-PLUS™ sequential medium (Vitrolife) and the GL BLAST™ sole medium (Ingamed).

OBJECTIVE: To check the efficacy of two types of commercially available embryo culture medium: G1-PLUS™/G2-PLUS™ sequential (Vitrolife, Gothenburg, Sweden) and GV BLAST™ sole (Ingamed, Maringá, Brazil) with regards to fertilization, cleavage, blastocyst and pregnancy rates. METHODS: Prospective and randomized study conducted from March to July 2015, using the medical records of 60 patients submitted to Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection techniques (ICSI). Data regarding the age of patients, together with fertilization, cleavage, blastocyst and pregnancy rates, were collected and compared in relation to the: G1-PLUS™/G2-PLUS™ sequential and GV BLAST™ sole mediums. The data were tabulated and compared using the Pearson's Chi-Square test (95% CI). RESULTS: There was no significant difference when comparing patients divided into higher and lower fertility age. No significant statistical difference was noted between the fertilization rates (P=0.59), cleavage (P=0.91), evolution to blastocyst (P=0.33) and total pregnancy (P=0.83) when comparing the embryos cultured in the different media analysed. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the G1-PLUS™/G2-PLUS™ sequential and GV BLAST™ sole mediums are equally effective with regards to fertilization, cleavage, blastocyst development and total pregnancy rates.

Poor ovarian response in patients younger than 35 years: is it also a qualitative decline in ovarian function?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether poor response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) is due to a qualitative decline in ovarian function. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 436 patients younger than 35-years old, undergoing COS for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Patients with four or fewer MII oocytes after COS (poor-responder group, PR, n = 52) were age-matched with normoresponder patients (NR, n = 364). RESULTS: Although similar duration of stimulation (10.5 +/- 0.4 and 9.3 +/- 0.8 days; p = 0.1358), increased doses of gonadotrophins (2510 +/- 865 and 2253 +/- 572 IU; p = 0.0061) were used in the PR. The results show a increased chance of cycle ending of PR (PR: 26.9% and NR: 3.1%; p < 0.0001). Although the lower total number of oocytes retrieved (2.4 +/- 1.4 and 16.2 +/- 9.3; p < 0.0001), equal rate of fertilization (70.2% and 72.0%, p = 0.1190) and high quality embryos were obtained (50.0% and 45.2%; p = 0.4895), resulting in similar implantation (14.5% and 19.7%; p = 0.2246) and abortion (10.0% and 15.4%; p = 1.00) rates, respectively. A trend towards increased pregnancy rate per embryo transfer in NR group was noted (PR: 26.3% and NR: 42.2%; p = 0.0818). CONCLUSIONS: Low ovarian response could be associated mainly with a quantitative rather than a qualitative decline in ovarian function. Therefore, even if the ovarian response to stimulation is low, patients aged < or =35 years should process to oocyte retrieval.