Short summary

In Denmark, every 10th child is conceived after fertility treatment. Despite major development in IVF techniques, still some embryos do not develop properly after cultivation in the laboratories. As golden standard, embryos are cultured in 5% O2 tension. However, studies have demonstrated that the O2 tension in the reproductive system gradually decrease from 5% to 2% from the ovaries to the uterus. By culturing the embryos in a differential O2 set-up, we wish to mimic the physiological different

Rationale

Primarily, we aim to evaluate the importance of differential O2 tension to the developing embryos. Particular attention will be given to differences in morphokinetic parameters, especially the timing of 5-cell (t5) and the timing of blastocyst stage (tB)

As a secondary aim, we investigate the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in spent media from the developing blastocysts.

Description of the cohort

Patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART), with planned IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Women age 18 - 41 years and BMI 18 - 35 kg/m2 (both inclusive) with ≥ 8 oocytes. Patients will be included no later than at oocyte pick-up.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Maigaard Fertility Clinic