A simplified coculture system with luteinized granulosa cells improves embryo quality and implantation rates: A controlled study

Objective: To investigate the use of a simplified short-term coculture system with luteinized granulosa cells (GCs) in patients with failed IVF-ET. Design: Controlled clinical study. Setting: IVF unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Carmel Medical Center. Patient(s): Patients with poor embryo quality in their previous IVF-ET cycles. Intervention(s): Embryos from 40 patients, in which > 50% of the embryos were classified as poor quality in their previous IVF attempts, were grown on autologue GC culture system for a short period (24-48 hours) before being replaced in the uterine cavity. Main Outcome Measure(s): Embryo quality. Result(s): Significant decrease in poor quality embryos and increase in the proportion of good quality embryos were observed using a coculture system with autologue human GCs. Pregnancy rates in this groups of patients reached our standard IVF results during the same period. Conclusion(s): This study describes: a simplified short-term coculture system with human autologue GCs. Poor quality embryos may be rescued to cleave regularly.