The use of coculture in assisted reproductive technology: does it have any impact?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the current place of cocultures in in-vitro fertilization. The cocultures may have a role in a very special group of patients who had incompetent embryos grown in the conventional media.


RESULTS
There is evidence that cocultures help embryos to grow better; however, there is not enough evidence that these are better than the modern sequential media. After U.S. Food and Drug Administration restricted the use of cocultures to only autologous ones, granulosa cell cocultures may help some germinal vesicular oocytes to be rescued to meiosis II oocytes and may increase blastocyst formation rate to increase the pregnancy rate.


CONCLUSIONS
Autologous cocultures may help embryos to grow better; however, better-designed studies are needed to evaluate their effect.
Zeyneloglu
Hulusi Bulent
HB
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, Baskent University, Kubilay Sok 36, Maltepe 06570, Ankara, Turkey. hulusi.zeyneloglu@gmail.com
Kahraman
Semra
S
D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods; D006107:Granulosa Cells; D006801:Humans