Fertilization, embryo quality, and cryosurvival in in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles

Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate the influence of semen quality on fertilization, embryo morphology cleavage, and cryosurvival in conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) programs. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 513 couples undergoing IVF and 255 couples undergoing ICSI was done. Results: Semen quality influenced fertilization in IVF and abnormal fertilization in IVF and ICSI, but no effects on the development, morphology implantation capacity or cryosurvival of embryos were found. Fertilization, embryo quality and cryosurvival rates were similar after IVF and ICSI. The fertilization rate of mature oocytes in IVF was lower when cytoplasmic immaturity in the oocyte population was frequent. The speed of development of embryos was 2 hr faster after ICSI than after IVE Two-cell-stage embryos survived best after cryopreservation with propanediol and sucrose on day 2. Conclusions: After fertilization, semen parameters had no effect on the quality or cryosurvival of embryos in either IVF or ICSI.