Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
Minimally Invasive Embryo Transfer and Embryo Vitrification at the Optimal Embryo Stage in Rabbit Model
Published on: May 16, 2019
Effect of the afterloaded external guidance embryo transfer technique on pregnancy rates in single embryo transfer
Nafiye Yılmaz1, Ayla Sargın Oruç1, Tugba Zeyrek2
1IVF Department, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective:
To investigate effect of the afterloaded external guidance embryo transfer technique on pregnancy rates in single embryo transfer intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.
Material And Methods:
This retrospective study was performed at the Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital. Three hundred and thirteen women who underwent ICSI were included in the study. Subjects were categorized according to the embryo transfer technique; Group 1 (n: 232): easy transfer with a soft catheter, Group 2 (n: 45): after external guidance transfer, and Group 3 (n: 36): difficult transfer with a stylet. Basal parameters, clinical and laboratory IVF outcomes and pregnancy rates were studied.
Results:
Infertility etiology, basal follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, antral follicle count, duration of stimulation, total dose of gonadotropin, peak estradiol levels, endometrial thickness, oocyte number, 2 PN, and fertilization rate were similar between the three groups (p>0.05). Despite the decreased pregnancy rate in Group 3, there were no differences in clinical pregnancy rates among the groups (p=0.204).
Conclusion:
Embryo transfer is one of the critical steps in assisted reproduction procedures. Using the afterloaded external guidance embryo transfer technique did not improve pregnancy rates.
