Find in Library

Objectives. To analyze the impact of oocyte denudation and microinjection timings on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. Study Design. We included ICSI cycles with the following parameters: rank 1 or 2, female age <36 years, male factor infertility, long protocol using GnRH agonist and rFSH for ovarian stimulation, and use of freshly ejaculated sperm (𝑛=110). Several ICSI parameters were analyzed according to the time between oocyte retrieval and denudation (𝑇1) and the time between denudation and ICSI (𝑇2) using a statistical logistic regression analysis. Results. Neither 𝑇1 nor 𝑇2 had a significant influence on the Metaphase II (MII) rate but the fertilisation rate (FR) showed a significant improvement when 𝑇1 was longer (optimal results at 𝑇1=3 hours) while FR significantly decreased with the increase of 𝑇2. Optimal implantation (IR) and pregnancy (PR) rates were obtained when 𝑇1 was around 2 hours. Conclusion. Incubation of oocytes around 2 hours between retrieval and denudation may not increase MII rate but appears to lead to the optimal combination of FR and IR.