Promising Implantation Rate When Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony- Stimulating Factor Used for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate fertilization, blastocyst formation, and implantation rates in recurrent pregnancy loss patients when Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) enriched media is used for embryo culture and Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET). Methods: Embryos from 48 IVF cycles were cultured in either G-TL or Sage 1 Step GM-CSF with HSA prior to vitrification on day 5 or 6. On the day of FET, all embryos were thawed and placed in Sage 1 Step GM-CSF with HSA for 2 hours prior to transfer. Implantation was determined two weeks after each FET through serum hCG tests, with levels > 5mIU/mL considered successful implantation. Results: The implantation rate of embryos cultured in G-TL and transferred in GM-CSF enriched media was 51.85%. When embryos were placed in GM-CSF enriched media for embryo culture and transfer, fertilization rate, blastocyst formation, and implantation rates were 80.2%, 46.6%, and 71% respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the use of GM-CSF media for embryo culture and transfer lead to promising implantation rates.