In Vivo Culture System Using the INVOcell Device Shows Similar Pregnancy and Implantation Rates to Those Obtained from In Vivo Culture System in ICSI Procedures.

CAPSULE: Clinical outcomes using INVOcell device with ICSI.

OBJECTIVE: Intravaginal culture of oocytes (INVO) procedure is an intravaginal culture system that utilizes the INVOcell device in which the fertilization and embryo culture occur. In this procedure, the vaginal cavity serves as an incubator for oocyte fertilization and early embryonic development. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of this intravaginal culture system in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

METHODS: A total of 24 cycles INVO-ICSI (study group) and 74 cycles of ICSI (control group) were included in the study. The cleaved oocytes at day 3/total injected oocytes, embryo quality, pregnancy rate (PR), implantation rate (IR), and miscarriage rate (MR) were compared between both groups.

RESULTS: At day 3, there was no difference in the cleaved oocyte rate (78.7 and 76.1%) and embryo quality (77 and 86.8%) for the study and control groups, respectively. In the study group, more embryos were significantly transferred compared to the control group (2.63 ± 0.58 versus 1.93 ± 0.25; P < 0.05). PRs, IRs, and MRs were similar for the study group compared with the control group (PR: 54.2% versus 58.1%; IR: 31.7% versus 33.6%; MR: 7.7% versus 20.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: Good PR and IR can be obtained using the INVOcell device, and the INVO-ICSI procedure can be considered as an alternative option to infertile patients.