[Effects of fertilization methods and sperm sources on the developmental capacity of surplus embryos].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the effects of fertilization methods and sperm sources in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on the developmental capacity of surplus embryos.


METHODS
We analyzed the blastocyst formation of the surplus embryos from 2 135 patients, who were divided according to fertilization methods into an IVF (n=1803) and an ICSI group (n=332), the former again allocated to a normal fertilization (n=1642) and a rescue fertilization group (n=161), and the latter, according to sperm sources, to an ejaculated (n=248), an epididymal (n=70) and a testicular sperm group (n=14). The rates of blastocyst formation and good-quality blastocysts were compared between different fertilization methods and sperm sources.


RESULTS
A total of 1884 blastocysts (28.87%) formed from 6525 surplus embryos of the patients after sequential culture, of which 974 (51.70%) were good-quality ones. The blastocyst formation rate of surplus embryos was significantly higher in the IVF (30.14%) than in the ICSI group (21.40%, P < 0.05), the rate of good-quality blastocysts was also higher in the former (52.44%) than in the latter (45.54%), but with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The rates of blastocyst formation and good-quality blastocysts were significantly higher in the normal (31.04% and 53.28%) than in the rescue fertilization IVF group (20.38% and 38.54%, P < 0.05), and in the testicular sperm ICSI group (30.23% and 53.85%) than in either the epididymal (18.36% and 42.11%) or the ejaculated sperm ICSI group (21.76% and 45.70%) (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The development potential of surplus embryos was higher in IVF than in ICSI, in the normal than in the rescue fertilization IVF group, and in the testicular than in the epididymal and ejaculated sperm ICSI groups.
Xu
Zhi-peng
ZP
Center of Reproductive Medicine, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China. xzpbio@hotmail.com
Sun
Hai-xiang
HX
Hu
Ya-li
YL
Zhang
Ning-yuan
NY
Wang
Bin
B
D001755:Blastocyst; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes; D013075:Sperm Capacitation; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013081:Sperm Motility