EMBRYO GLUE AND CLINICAL PREGNANCY RATES IN ICSI EMBRYO TRANSFER CYCLES: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Purpose: One of the reasons for failed implantation after transferring good quality embryos in an intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle is the failure of creation a viscid layer between the embryo and the endometrium. Many modifications have been made in embryo transfer medium to improve implantation and increase pregnancy rates such as adding albumin as a source of energy and adding hyaluronic acid in high concentrations such as in Embryo Glue medium: a human embryo transfer medium. To investigate whether the use of Embryo Glue had any effect on clinical pregnancy rates in intracytoplasmic sperm injection-fresh embryo transfer cycles.
 Methods: A prospective study included one hundred and twenty-eight infertile Iraqi women who were selected and subjected to a stimulation protocol in an intracytoplasmic sperm injection-fresh embryo transfer cycle. All patients were considered to be eligible for embryo transfer (no visible causes could prevent implantation) and only good quality embryos were transferred to them. Those women were divided randomly into two groups according to type of embryo transfer medium: group A: Embryo Glue medium. group B: Conventional medium. Then group A was subdivided according to age into: AI (34 women with age < 35 years and represented 50.7%) AII (33 women with age ≥ 35 years and represented 49.3%) While group B was subdivided into: BI (41women with age < 35 years and represented 67.3%) BII (20 women with age ≥ 35 years and represented 32.7%).
 Results: Although there was no significant difference between all groups in causes of infertility, the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in subgroup AII (18 pregnant from 33 women) while only 5 patients became pregnant from 20 patients in subgroup BII. In all women no more than four good quality embryos were transferred, and when total number of transferred embryos was significantly more in group B than group A (P=0.013), the significant increase in pregnancy rates was only observed in subgroup AII (P=0.048). Even though a highly significant difference in number of repeated implantation failure was in group A than group B (P=0.027), the pregnancy rates were significantly higher in group A (P=0.038).
 Conclusion: This study concluded that using Embryo Glue has a beneficial effect on old women and increase pregnancy rates, also it has a positive effect on pregnancy rates in repeated implantation failure and increases pregnancy rates even if the women is old.