title: Pregnancy rates after communal growth of preimplantation human embryos in vitro.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of communal growth of preimplantation human embryos on pregnancy rates in IVF-ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective randomized study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Vitro Fertilization Unit, Bikur Cholim Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one women undergoing 91 cycles of IVF-ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 42 cycles (control) embryos were grown singly, in 49 cycles (study) embryos were grown in groups until transfer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proportion of women achieving pregnancy in study and control groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Communal growth of embryos resulted in significantly improved pregnancy rates. Intrauterine transfer of embryos grown in groups produced 43% pregnancy rates per transfer, whereas, with embryos grown individually, 24% pregnancy rates were obtained (odds ratio = 2.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that, in IVF, the potential of preimplantation human embryos to produce pregnancy tends to increase when embryos are grown in groups.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bikur Cholim Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Almagor
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Bejar
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Kafka
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Yaffe
mesh_terms: D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000379:methods; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies