In vitro maturation of oocytes in women at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome-A prospective multicenter cohort study

Sanne C. Braam* (Corresponding Author), Dimitri Consten, Jesper M.J. Smeenk, Ben J. Cohlen, Max H.J.M. Curfs, Carl J.C.M. Hamilton, Sjoerd Repping, Ben W.J. Mol, Jan Peter de Bruin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: In vitro maturation (IVM) is an artificial reproductive technology in which immature oocytes are harvested from the ovaries and subsequently will be matured in vitro. IVM does not require ovarian hyperstimulation (OH) and thus the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is avoided. In this study, we assessed the live birth rate per initiated IVM cycle in women eligible for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ ICSI) and at risk for OHSS. Furthermore, we followed women who were not pregnant after IVM and committed to a conventional IVF/ICSI procedure. Materials and Methods: In this multicenter prospective cohort study, we started 76 IVM cycles using recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) priming in 68 patients. There were 66 oocyte retrievals, in which a total of 628 oocytes were collected. We incubated the immature oocytes for 24-48 hours and fertilized those that reached metaphase II by ICSI. Results: Three hundred eighty six (61% oocytes) achieved metaphase II. The fertilization rate was 55%. We performed 59 embryo transfers (1.9 embryos per transfer) in 56 women, including 3 frozen embryo transfers. There were four ongoing pregnancies (5.3% per initiated cycle) leading to the birth of a healthy child at term. None of the patients developed OHSS. The ongoing pregnancy rate of the first conventional IVF/ICSI cycle after an unsuccessful IVM cycle was 44%, which was unexpectedly high. Conclusion: We concluded that IVM led to live births but with low effectiveness in our study. Earlier reported IVM success rates are higher which can be caused by a more extended experience in these centers with the intricate laboratory process. However, a possible selection bias in these studies cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, IVM might have a beneficial effect on further IVF/ICSI treatments due to its “ovarian drilling” effect.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)38-44
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Fertility and Sterility
Volume13
Issue number1
Early online date1 Apr 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2019

Bibliographical note

This study was funded by The Netherlands Organisation
for Health Research and Development (ZonMW, project
number: 171101010). B.W.J.M is supported by a National
Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Practitioner
Fellowship (GNT1082548). B.W.J.M. reports consultancy for ObsEva, Merck and Guerbet. There is no conflict of
interest in this study.

Data Availability Statement

No data availability statement

Keywords

  • In vitro maturation
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Prospective study

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