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Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification
Published on: July 26, 2019
Clinical outcomes after IVF or ICSI using human blastocysts derived from oocytes containing aggregates of smooth
Fumiaki Itoi1, Yukiko Asano2, Masashi Shimizu3
1Department of Infertility, Green Bell Clinic, Kitamachi 2-160, Toyota, Aichi 471-0027, Japan; Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Yamanashi, Takeda 4-4-37, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510, Japan.
Abstract:
In this study the clinical and neo-natal outcomes after transfer of blastocysts derived from oocytes containing aggregates of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) were compared between IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Clinical and neo-natal outcomes of blastocysts in cycles with at least one SER metaphase II oocyte (SER + MII; SER + cycles) did not significantly differ between the two insemination methods. When SER + MII were cultured to day 5/6, fertilization, embryo cleavage and blastocyst rates were not significantly different between IVF and ICSI cycles. In vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles, the clinical pregnancy rates from SER + MII in IVF and ICSI did not significantly differ. In this study, 52 blastocysts (27 IVF and 25 ICSI) derived from SER + MII were transferred, yielding 15 newborns (5 IVF and 10 ICSI) and no malformations. Moreover, 300 blastocysts (175 IVF and 125 ICSI) derived from SER-MII were transferred, yielding 55 newborns (24 IVF and 31 ICSI cycles). Thus, blastocysts derived from SER + cycles exhibited an acceptable ongoing pregnancy rate after IVF (n = 125) or ICSI (n = 117) cycles. In conclusion, blastocysts from SER + MII in both IVF and ICSI cycles yield adequate ongoing pregnancy rates with neo-natal outcomes that do not differ from SER-MII.
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