Amphiregulin Versus Non-Amphiregulin Supplementation to Maturation Culturing Medium in IVM.

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2020-01-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

Clinical use of IVM was pioneered in the nineties, but has not yet become a realistic option for wide-scale practice, for several reasons. Fundamentally, despite recent progress in improving the implantation and the pregnancy rates using in-vitro matured oocytes, results of IVM remain lower than treatment cycles utilizing conventional ART. To improve the outcome of IVM cycles, this study focuses on improving in-vitro culture conditions.

In-vitro maturation (IVM) of human oocytes obtained from minimally stimulated or unstimulated ovaries offers a more "patient friendly" treatment option than the conventional Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Typically, IVM will be offered to women with polycystic ovaries (PCO/PCOS), or to patients with an excellent ovarian reserve, i.e. a high antral follicle count. IVM treatment is characterized by minimal administration of FSH or hMG and NO hCG trigger. The IVM approach is less disruptive to patients' daily life through the reduced need for hormonal and ultrasound monitoring, avoids a range of minor and major complications, such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and aims to reduce the total cost of infertility treatment for the patient and for the health care budget.

Human oocytes retrieved from small antral follicles are able to resume meiosis by undergoing germinal vesicle breakdown and extrusion of the first polar body, if oocytes have reached meiotic competence. These oocytes can be fertilized although only a proportion (less than 50%) of them can develop further into viable embryos. It has been hypothesized that failure of embryonic development may, at least in part, be due to an immature oocyte cytoplasm. A novel human in vitro maturation (IVM) culture system (named CAPACITATION-IVM is being investigated, hereafter named "CAPA") using 1°) natural compounds known to influence cAMP levels within the cumulus-oocyte-complex and 2°) compounds that are crucial for the oocyte-cumulus cross-talk. Keeping cyclic AMP high after retrieval in the GV oocyte prevents the occurrence of nuclear maturation, enabling increased communication between the oocyte and the cumulus cells. This allows for the improvement in the synchronization of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation processes in the oocyte, to the benefit of embryo quality.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Mỹ Đức Hospital

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Having polycystic ovarian morphology: at least 24 follicles in both ovaries and/or increased ovarian volume (>10ml) (it is sufficient that 1 ovary fits these criteria)

• Undergoing ≤ 2 previous IVM or IVF attempts

• Agreeing to have ≤ 2 embryos transferred

Exclusion Criteria:

• High grade endometriosis

• Oocyte donation and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis cycles

• Cases with extremely poor sperm quality.