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Preparation of time-lapse culture dishes with refrigerated medium, rather than pre-warmed, may result in better clinical outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2025

Yasong Geng Open the ORCID record for Yasong Geng [Opens in a new window] ,
Fangfang Dai ,
Zhiwei Yang ,
Guozhen Li ,
Linlin Tao ,
Haoyang Dai ,
Shusong Wang  and
Bo Zheng
Yasong Geng
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Fangfang Dai
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Zhiwei Yang
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Guozhen Li
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Linlin Tao
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Haoyang Dai
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
Shusong Wang
Affiliation:
Hebei Institute of Reproductive Health Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Bo Zheng*
Affiliation:
Xingtai Meihe Reproductive and Genetic Hospital, Xingtai, Hebei, China
*
Corresponding author: Bo Zheng; Email: zhengbo2025@163.com
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Summary

This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of using refrigerated versus pre-warmed media for preparing time-lapse dishes in in vitro fertilization (IVF). Patients undergoing their first IVF/ICSI cycle were divided into two groups. The control group used pre-warmed culture media, while the experimental group used refrigerated culture media. The osmotic pressure of the culture droplets in both groups was tested. No statistical differences were found between the two groups’ basic data. The proportion of air microbubbles affecting imaging significantly decreased (4.55% vs. 37.97%, P < 0.001) when using pre-warmed media. However, the blastocyst formation rate (56.62% vs. 49.70%, P = 0.046) and total high-quality embryo rate (22.26% vs. 17.06%, P = 0.047) were significantly higher in the refrigerated media group compared to the pre-warmed media group. The higher rate of high-quality embryos in the refrigerated media group might result in a higher single embryo transfer rate (45.10% vs. 18.52%, P = 0.020) and implantation rate (58.23% vs. 34.69%, P = 0.010). From day –1 to day 1, osmolality increased, with the P-3.5 group showing a significant elevation compared to the other three groups. After 5 days of incubation, the osmotic pressure of group R-4.0 was significantly lower than that of groups P-3.5, P-4.0 and P-3.5. In conclusion, refrigerated culture media dishes helped stabilize the osmotic pressure of the culture microenvironment and reduce water evaporation. The refrigerated group showed a higher rate of high-quality embryos and live births, although pre-warmed culture media effectively reduced the occurrence of air microbubbles that affect embryo imaging in the next day’s dishes.

Keywords

embryo outcomein vitro fertilization embryo transfermicrodrop culture dish preparationosmotic pressuretime-lapse monitoring

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , June 2025 , pp. 132 - 138
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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