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Original article

Vol. 144 No. 4142 (2014)

Effect of embryo culture media on birthweight and length in singleton term infants after IVF-ICSI

  • Dorothea Wunder
  • Pierluigi Ballabeni
  • Matthias Roth-Kleiner
  • Marie-Pierre Primi
  • Alfred Senn
  • Alain Chanson
  • Marc Germond
  • Celine Leyvraz
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2014.14038
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2014;144:w14038
Published
05.10.2014

Summary

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY:To investigate if two distinct, commercially available embryo culture media have a different effect on birthweight and length of singleton term infants conceived after IVF-ICSI.

METHODS: University hospital based cohort study. Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2004, patients conceiving through IVF-ICSI at the University Hospital, Lausanne have been allocated to two distinct embryo culture media. Only term singleton pregnancies were analysed (n = 525). Data analysis was performed according to two commercially available culture media: Vitrolife® (n = 352) versus Cook® (n = 173). Analysis was performed through linear regression adjusted for confounders. Media were considered equivalent if the 95% confidence interval lay between –150 g/+150 g.

RESULTS:Length, gestational age and distribution of birthweight percentiles did not differ between groups (for both genders). Analysis of the whole cohort, adjusted for a subset of confounders, resulted in a statistically not different mean birthweight between the two groups (Vitrolife®+37 g vs Cook®, 95%CI: –46 g to 119 g) suggesting equivalence. Adjustment for an enlarged number of confounders in a subsample of patients (n = 258) also revealed no relevant mean birthweight difference of +71 g (95%CI: –45 g to 187 g) in favour of Vitrolife®; however, lacking power to prove equivalence.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that significant differences in birthweight due to these two distinct, commercially available embryo culture media are unlikely.

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