title: Oocyte morphology does not affect post-warming survival rate in an egg-cryobanking donation program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether oocyte dysmorphisms affect oocyte survival rates in an egg-cryobanking donation program.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 54 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. A total of 415 metaphase II oocytes were vitrified using the Cryotop method. Oocyte morphology was assessed immediately prior to oocyte vitrification under 400× magnification. The influence of dysmorphisms on post-thaw survival rates was assessed using regression analysis. Results were considered to be significant at the 5% critical level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oocyte survival rate was not affected by the presence of the following analysed oocyte abnormalities: increased cytoplasmic granularity, vacuoles in the ooplasm, aggregates of smooth endoplasmic reticulum in the ooplasm, large perivitelline space size, perivitelline space granularity, fragmented first polar body and zona pellucida abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oocyte morphology, observed prior to vitrification, does not predict post-warming survival. The non-invasive identification of predictive markers for oocyte survival potential remains a difficult task.
authors.affiliation: Sapientiae Institute - Educational and Research Centre in Assisted Reproduction, Rua Vieira Maciel, 62, 04203-040, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda Souza
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Setti
authors.forename: Rita de Cássia Savio
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.forename: Daniela Paes de Almeida Ferreira
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: Renata Cristina
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Assumpto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iaconelli
authors.forename: Edson
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008677:Metaphase; D018587:Oocyte Donation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D014022:Tissue Survival / Q000502:physiology; D058989:Vitrification