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Significance of one pronucleus before fertilization
Lynn M Westphal1, Marcus Rosencrantz, Barry Behr
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, California 94305-5317, USA. lynnw@stanford.edu
Objective:
To describe a case of primary infertility associated with oocytes having one pronucleus before fertilization on repeated IVF attempts.
Design:
Case report.
Setting:
A university-based assisted reproduction unit.
Patient(S):
A 30-year-old woman with primary infertility and oocytes containing one pronucleus before fertilization.
Intervention(S):
Oocyte donation.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Pregnancy.
Result(S):
Conceived triplets after transfer of three embryos using donor oocytes.
Conclusion(S):
This patient's infertility was likely associated with an oocyte abnormality, as evidenced by the premature formation of one pronucleus before fertilization. In the future, more studies on the appearance of a single pronucleus before fertilization will be needed to determine its overall significance on fertility.