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In This Article

  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Protocol
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Disclosures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Materials
  • References
  • Reprints and Permissions

Summary

In vitro maturation (IVM) before gynecological operation (OP-IVM) combines IVM following oocyte retrieval with routine gynecological surgery and serves as an extension of conventional IVM applications for fertility preservation.

Abstract

The use of in vitro maturation (IVM) before gynecological operation (OP-IVM) is an extension of conventional IVM that combines IVM following oocyte retrieval with routine gynecological surgery. OP-IVM is suitable for patients undergoing benign gynecological surgery who have the need for fertility preservation (FP) or infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). In the operating room, patients undergoing benign gynecological surgery are first anesthetized and receive ultrasound-guided immature follicle aspiration (IMFA) treatment. As the subsequent gynecological surgery is performed, the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) are examined, and the immature COCs are transferred into the IVM medium and cultured for 28-32 hours in the IVF laboratory. After assessment, mature oocytes in the MII stage will be selected and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen for FP or fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for IVF-ET. By combining IVM with gynecological surgery, immature oocytes that would have been discarded can be saved and used for assisted reproductive technology (ART). The procedure, significance and critical aspects of OP-IVM are described in this article.

Introduction

IVM is an ART in which human immature oocytes are cultured in vitro to maturation for IVF-ET or FP. In IVM, ovulation induction medications are not used, thus reducing pain, financial burden, and complications such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)1,2. In addition, IVM is particularly suitable for the FP of cancer patients and the infertility treatment of hormone-sensitive patients who may be unable to or have no time to receive ovulation induction therapy3. Therefore, although the number of oocytes retrieved, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), and live birth rate (LBR) are lower ....

Protocol

NOTE: Studies related to the OP-IVM method have been approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of Peking University Third Hospital and the Ethics Committee of Peking University (2014S2004). A summary of OP-IVM is shown in Figure 1. The step-by-step procedure will be introduced in the following section.

1. Introduction of OP-IVM to appropriate patients

  1. Identify potential patients who may benefit from OP-IVM such as those described in steps 1.1.1-1.1.3.:
    1. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients with clomiphene resistance who need laparoscopic ovarian drilling surgery.
    2. ....

Results

Until December 2019, OP-IVM was used for fertility preservation of 274 patients. Embryological and reproductive outcomes of 158 patients between 2014 to 2016 were published in a previous paper8. The following example discusses the procedure followed for a PCOS patient receiving OP-IVM in 2016. The patient is a 28-year-old diagnosed with primary infertility, left adnexal cyst, and PCOS. She received laparoscopic cystectomy and OP-IVM on September 28th, 20.......

Discussion

The OP-IVM method described in this article extends to conventional IVM applications and combines IVM after oocyte retrieval with routine gynecological surgery. Oocytes that would have been lost in the gynecological surgery can now be used for IVF-ET or FP without additional surgical risks. OP-IVM was first used to retrieve oocytes before ovarian drilling in PCOS patients. Its application soon expanded to infertile patients who need benign gynecological surgery and cancer or hematological disease patients who need chemor.......

Disclosures

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the China National Key R&D Program (no. 2017YFC1002000, 2018YFC1004001, 2019YFA0801400), the National Science Foundation of China (no. 81571386, 81730038), the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2019-I2M-5-001), and the Special Research Project of Chinese Capital Health Development (2018-2-4095).

....

Materials

NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
19 G single-lumen aspiration needlesCook, AustraliaK-OPS-7035-REH-ET
4-well plateCorning
70 μm nylon cell strainerFalcon, USA352350
CO2 IncubatorThermo
Culture oilVitrolife, Sweden10029,OVOIL Step 3.2.
FSH & LHFerring Reproductive Health, GermanyMENOPUR®
Glass Pasteur pipetteHilgenberg GmbH, Germany3154102-26
G-MOPS mediumpH-stable handling medium for washing the needle before puncturing
IVM mediumOrigio, DenmarkART-1600-B
Laminar Flow Clean BenchesESCO
Petri dishThermo Fisher Scientific, Denmark263991
pH stable handing media designed to support the handling and manipulation of oocytes and embryos outside the incubatorVitrolife, Sweden10130, G-MOPS PLUSStep 7.1.
Rinse solutionCook, AustraliaK-SIFB-100
StereoscopeNikon

References

  1. Ho, V. N. A., Braam, S. C., Pham, T. D., Mol, B. W., Vuong, L. N. The effectiveness and safety of in vitro maturation of oocytes versus in vitro fertilization in women with a high antral follicle count. Human Reproduction. 34 (6), 1055-1064 (2019).
  2. Yang, Z. Y., Chian, R. C.

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