Female InfertilityNCT05858333
Extended Culture of Day 3 to Day 5 Frozen Thawed Day 3 Embryos Versus Day 5 Frozen-Thawed Embryos
A study testing Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group) in people with Female Infertility, run by Al-Azhar University at 1 site in Egypt.
Trial summary
Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes has become routine in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Live birth rates following frozen embryo transfers have increased significantly. Data show that cryopreservation has significant improved survival rates and cumulative pregnancy rates, as well as the safety of ART . Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 38 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Female Infertility
- What is being tested?
- Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group)
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 132 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEgypt
- Study dates
- 1 Apr 2022to 1 Dec 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 38 years
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients with history of primary or secondary infertility.
- Age ≤ 38 years.
- Female patients having more than 4 vitrified embryos.
- BMI less than 30 kg/m².
- Good quality of embryos
Who cannot join
- Severe male factor infertility.
- Recurrent implantation failure.
- Females with uterine Congenital anomalies.
- Bad quality of embryos.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Egypt1 site
International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Researches (IICPSR) - Al-Azhar University
Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Al-Darrasah, 11511
About this study
Official title: Pregnancy Outcome of Extended Culture of Day 3 to Day 5 Frozen Thawed Day 3 Embryos Versus Day 5 Frozen-Thawed Embryos
Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes has become routine in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Live birth rates following frozen embryo transfers have increased significantly. Data show that cryopreservation has significant improved survival rates and cumulative pregnancy rates, as well as the safety of ART . Embryo cryopreservation has become a cornerstone in ART. With improved vitrification techniques. Frozen embryos transfer (FET) shows equal or even higher implantation and pregnancy rates than do fresh embryo transfers ART Previous studies show equal or even superior outcomes regarding pregnancy and live birth rates with frozen versus fresh embryo transfer Cryopreserve all embryos have increased substantially in recent years, and according to the recent trend of a freeze-all strategy. This study aims to answer a clinical question encountered in daily practice regarding at what stage embryos should be frozen.
Read the detailed description
Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes has become routine in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Live birth rates following frozen embryo transfers have increased significantly. Data show that cryopreservation has significant improved survival rates and cumulative pregnancy rates, as well as the safety of ART. Embryo cryopreservation has become a cornerstone in ART. With improved vitrification techniques. Frozen embryos transfer (FET) shows equal or even higher implantation and pregnancy rates than do fresh embryo transfers ART .
Previous studies show equal or even superior outcomes regarding pregnancy and live birth rates with frozen versus fresh embryo transfer .
Cryopreservation has several advantages. It maintains supernumerary embryos not used for fresh transfer; allows single-embryo transfer, thus reducing multiple gestations; enables a freeze-all strategy to prevent ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome; is useful for social or medical fertility preservation; and allows embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing, luteal phase stimulation, and dual stimulation protocols .
A recent trend is to perform blastocyst fresh/frozen single-embryo transfers. The advantages include exposing the embryo to a more natural uterine environment. Also, by extending the duration of culture, embryo self-selection will occur and may enable the highest chance of implantation . Due to a potential damage to the expanded blastocyst during vitrification procedure, an emerging clinical question is whether cryopreserving cleavage stage embryos, then thawing and culturing to blastocysts will achieve better outcomes, as compared to transfer of a thawed blastocyst .
The most recent study demonstrated that thawing cleavage embryos, then culturing and transferring them as blastocysts, yields improved pregnancy rates and perinatal outcomes compared to thawed blastocyst embryo transfers . Cryopreserve all embryos have increased substantially in recent years, and according to the recent trend of a freeze-all strategy. This study aims to answer a clinical question encountered in daily practice regarding at what stage embryos should be frozen.
- Conditions
- Female Infertility
- Being tested
- Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group)
- Medical subject headings
- Infertility, Female
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group)Other
To investigate thawing day three embryos and culturing them to be transferred as blastocyst that will improve pregnancy rate when compared to transfer thawed frozen blastocyst.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1: (day 5 group) | No intervention | Women will undergo ICSI, and verification-thawed blastocysts will be transferred after 5 days of ovulation (60cases). |
| Group 2: (day 3-5 group) | Experimental | Women will undergo ICSI, who had cryopreserved embryos on day 3 then thawed and embryos will be allowed for extended cultured for 2 additional days and then will be transferred as blastocysts after 5 days of ovulation (60 cases). Receives: Other: Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
To increase the pregnancy rate of cases undergoes to ICSI.
Pregnancy rates will be determined in each of the two groups and compared to each other in three stages in clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live pregnancy rates.
Measured: 16 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 May 2023
- Study start1 Apr 2022
- Primary completion17 Sep 2023
- Study completion1 Dec 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Female InfertilityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Al-Azhar UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 132 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Al-Azhar University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mohamed Sennara, Al-Azhar University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05858333
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- vitrification of embryos
- Status last verified
- Jun 2024
- First submitted
- 4 May 2023
- Last updated
- 14 Jun 2024
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Boyard J, Reignier A, Chtourou S, Lefebvre T, Barriere P, Freour T. Should artificial shrinkage be performed prior to blastocyst vitrification? A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2022 Feb;25(1):24-32. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2019.1701205. Epub 2020 Jan 24.
PubMed 31973647Gardner DK, Lane M, Stevens J, Schlenker T, Schoolcraft WB. Blastocyst score affects implantation and pregnancy outcome: towards a single blastocyst transfer. Fertil Steril. 2000 Jun;73(6):1155-8. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(00)00518-5.
PubMed 10856474Martins WP, Nastri CO, Rienzi L, van der Poel SZ, Gracia C, Racowsky C. Blastocyst vs cleavage-stage embryo transfer: systematic review and meta-analysis of reproductive outcomes. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2017 May;49(5):583-591. doi: 10.1002/uog.17327. Epub 2017 Apr 10.
PubMed 27731533Nagy ZP, Shapiro D, Chang CC. Vitrification of the human embryo: a more efficient and safer in vitro fertilization treatment. Fertil Steril. 2020 Feb;113(2):241-247. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2019.12.009.
PubMed 32106970Ozgur K, Berkkanoglu M, Bulut H, Isikli A, Coetzee K. Higher clinical pregnancy rates from frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers compared to fresh blastocyst transfers: a retrospective matched-cohort study. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2015 Oct;32(10):1483-90. doi: 10.1007/s10815-015-0576-1. Epub 2015 Sep 23.
PubMed 26400506Rahav-Koren R, Inbar S, Miller N, Wiser A, Yagur Y, Berkowitz C, Farladansky-Gershnabel S, Shulman A, Berkowitz A. Thawing day 3 embryos and culturing to day 5 may be a better method for frozen embryo transfer. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2021 Nov;38(11):2941-2946. doi: 10.1007/s10815-021-02321-y. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
PubMed 34549329Roque M, Haahr T, Geber S, Esteves SC, Humaidan P. Fresh versus elective frozen embryo transfer in IVF/ICSI cycles: a systematic review and meta-analysis of reproductive outcomes. Hum Reprod Update. 2019 Jan 1;25(1):2-14. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmy033.
PubMed 30388233Van Landuyt L, Polyzos NP, De Munck N, Blockeel C, Van de Velde H, Verheyen G. A prospective randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of artificial shrinkage (collapse) on the implantation potential of vitrified blastocysts. Hum Reprod. 2015 Nov;30(11):2509-18. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dev218. Epub 2015 Sep 12.
PubMed 26364080Wang A, Santistevan A, Hunter Cohn K, Copperman A, Nulsen J, Miller BT, Widra E, Westphal LM, Yurttas Beim P. Freeze-only versus fresh embryo transfer in a multicenter matched cohort study: contribution of progesterone and maternal age to success rates. Fertil Steril. 2017 Aug;108(2):254-261.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.05.007. Epub 2017 Jun 1.
PubMed 28579411
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Jun 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Pregnancy Outcome of Extended Culture of Day 3 to Day 5 Frozen Thawed Day 3 Embryos Versus Day 5 Frozen-Thawed Embryos
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05858333
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- vitrification of embryos
- Conditions
- Female Infertility
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 132 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Al-Azhar UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Apr 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 17 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Dec 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 May 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes has become routine in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Live birth rates following frozen embryo transfers have increased significantly. Data show that cryopreservation has significant improved survival rates and cumulative pregnancy rates, as well as the safety of ART . Embryo cryopreservation has become a cornerstone in ART. With improved vitrification techniques. Frozen embryos transfer (FET) shows equal or even higher implantation and pregnancy rates than do fresh embryo transfers ART Previous studies show equal or even superior outcomes regarding pregnancy and live birth rates with frozen versus fresh embryo transfer Cryopreserve all embryos have increased substantially in recent years, and according to the recent trend of a freeze-all strategy. This study aims to answer a clinical question encountered in daily practice regarding at what stage embryos should be frozen.
Detailed description
Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes has become routine in assisted reproduction technology (ART). Live birth rates following frozen embryo transfers have increased significantly. Data show that cryopreservation has significant improved survival rates and cumulative pregnancy rates, as well as the safety of ART. Embryo cryopreservation has become a cornerstone in ART. With improved vitrification techniques. Frozen embryos transfer (FET) shows equal or even higher implantation and pregnancy rates than do fresh embryo transfers ART .
Previous studies show equal or even superior outcomes regarding pregnancy and live birth rates with frozen versus fresh embryo transfer .
Cryopreservation has several advantages. It maintains supernumerary embryos not used for fresh transfer; allows single-embryo transfer, thus reducing multiple gestations; enables a freeze-all strategy to prevent ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome; is useful for social or medical fertility preservation; and allows embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing, luteal phase stimulation, and dual stimulation protocols .
A recent trend is to perform blastocyst fresh/frozen single-embryo transfers. The advantages include exposing the embryo to a more natural uterine environment. Also, by extending the duration of culture, embryo self-selection will occur and may enable the highest chance of implantation . Due to a potential damage to the expanded blastocyst during vitrification procedure, an emerging clinical question is whether cryopreserving cleavage stage embryos, then thawing and culturing to blastocysts will achieve better outcomes, as compared to transfer of a thawed blastocyst .
The most recent study demonstrated that thawing cleavage embryos, then culturing and transferring them as blastocysts, yields improved pregnancy rates and perinatal outcomes compared to thawed blastocyst embryo transfers . Cryopreserve all embryos have increased substantially in recent years, and according to the recent trend of a freeze-all strategy. This study aims to answer a clinical question encountered in daily practice regarding at what stage embryos should be frozen.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind (care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1: (day 5 group) | No intervention | –Women will undergo ICSI, and verification-thawed blastocysts will be transferred after 5 days of ovulation (60cases). |
| Group 2: (day 3-5 group) | Experimental | Other: Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group)Women will undergo ICSI, who had cryopreserved embryos on day 3 then thawed and embryos will be allowed for extended cultured for 2 additional days and then will be transferred as blastocysts after 5 days of ovulation (60 cases). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 38 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Patients with history of primary or secondary infertility.
- Age ≤ 38 years.
- Female patients having more than 4 vitrified embryos.
- BMI less than 30 kg/m².
- Good quality of embryos
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Severe male factor infertility.
- Recurrent implantation failure.
- Females with uterine Congenital anomalies.
- Bad quality of embryos.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group)To investigate thawing day three embryos and culturing them to be transferred as blastocyst that will improve pregnancy rate when compared to transfer thawed frozen blastocyst. | Other | Group 2: (day 3-5 group) |
Primary outcome
To increase the pregnancy rate of cases undergoes to ICSI.
Time frame: 16 months
Pregnancy rates will be determined in each of the two groups and compared to each other in three stages in clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live pregnancy rates.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Jun 2024.
- Background: PubMed 31973647Boyard J, Reignier A, Chtourou S, Lefebvre T, Barriere P, Freour T. Should artificial shrinkage be performed prior to blastocyst vitrification? A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2022 Feb;25(1):24-32. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2019.1701205. Epub 2020 Jan 24.
- Background: PubMed 10856474Gardner DK, Lane M, Stevens J, Schlenker T, Schoolcraft WB. Blastocyst score affects implantation and pregnancy outcome: towards a single blastocyst transfer. Fertil Steril. 2000 Jun;73(6):1155-8. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(00)00518-5.
- Background: PubMed 27731533Martins WP, Nastri CO, Rienzi L, van der Poel SZ, Gracia C, Racowsky C. Blastocyst vs cleavage-stage embryo transfer: systematic review and meta-analysis of reproductive outcomes. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2017 May;49(5):583-591. doi: 10.1002/uog.17327. Epub 2017 Apr 10.
- Background: PubMed 32106970Nagy ZP, Shapiro D, Chang CC. Vitrification of the human embryo: a more efficient and safer in vitro fertilization treatment. Fertil Steril. 2020 Feb;113(2):241-247. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2019.12.009.
- Background: PubMed 26400506Ozgur K, Berkkanoglu M, Bulut H, Isikli A, Coetzee K. Higher clinical pregnancy rates from frozen-thawed blastocyst transfers compared to fresh blastocyst transfers: a retrospective matched-cohort study. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2015 Oct;32(10):1483-90. doi: 10.1007/s10815-015-0576-1. Epub 2015 Sep 23.
- Background: PubMed 34549329Rahav-Koren R, Inbar S, Miller N, Wiser A, Yagur Y, Berkowitz C, Farladansky-Gershnabel S, Shulman A, Berkowitz A. Thawing day 3 embryos and culturing to day 5 may be a better method for frozen embryo transfer. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2021 Nov;38(11):2941-2946. doi: 10.1007/s10815-021-02321-y. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
- Background: PubMed 30388233Roque M, Haahr T, Geber S, Esteves SC, Humaidan P. Fresh versus elective frozen embryo transfer in IVF/ICSI cycles: a systematic review and meta-analysis of reproductive outcomes. Hum Reprod Update. 2019 Jan 1;25(1):2-14. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmy033.
- Background: PubMed 26364080Van Landuyt L, Polyzos NP, De Munck N, Blockeel C, Van de Velde H, Verheyen G. A prospective randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of artificial shrinkage (collapse) on the implantation potential of vitrified blastocysts. Hum Reprod. 2015 Nov;30(11):2509-18. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dev218. Epub 2015 Sep 12.
- Background: PubMed 28579411Wang A, Santistevan A, Hunter Cohn K, Copperman A, Nulsen J, Miller BT, Widra E, Westphal LM, Yurttas Beim P. Freeze-only versus fresh embryo transfer in a multicenter matched cohort study: contribution of progesterone and maternal age to success rates. Fertil Steril. 2017 Aug;108(2):254-261.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.05.007. Epub 2017 Jun 1.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Extended culture for Group 2: (day 3-5 group) in people with Female Infertility, run by Al-Azhar University at 1 site in Egypt.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Jun 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Egypt. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
To increase the pregnancy rate of cases undergoes to ICSI. (time frame: 16 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05858333, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Jun 2024.