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Sperm Selection for Infertility Treatment (SSA)

Not Applicable
Conditions
Infertility
Interventions
Procedure: ICSI
Device: Sperm Selection Assay
Other: Attractant Substance
Registration Number
NCT02867111
Lead Sponsor
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
Brief Summary

Infertility is considered a disease by the World Health Organization and it is increasing worldwide affecting more than 70 million couples. About 50% of the cases are due to male inability to fertilize the oocyte. In the last 40 years, several techniques, known as Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) have been developed to treat infertility, but the efficiency is still relatively low (around 30%) whereas the remaining 70% attempts again several times, an expensive and emotionally moving treatment. Over 4million of infertility treatments are practiced around the world per year and a 50% increment is expected over the next 6years. Even though ART allows the birth of babies that would be impossible under natural circumstances, it is still necessary to improve the procedures in order to increase treatment efficiency. The success of ART depends, to some extent, on sperm quality. Indeed, the relevance of spermatozoa quality is notorious even beyond fertilization, extending to embryo development and implantation. In this context, it has been developed a new technology that allows the selection of those spermatozoa at their best functional state (Sperm Selection Assay, SSA; Patent approved for USA and Europe, pending for Japan and Argentina). This method is based on the attraction of spermatozoa ready to fertilize the egg, towards a physiological attractant molecule. The SSA may be applied to improve diagnosis and infertility treatment. The investigators hypothesis states that the use of the SSA will improve the number of good-quality embryos which are the ones to be transferred by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), providing a healthy embryo development. The protocol involves three experimental groups where the SSA will be used or not, before performing the ICSI: 1)SSA containing the sperm attractant molecule, 2)SSA without the attractant molecule, and 3)without SSA. The patient inclusion criteria involve female factors associated to tubal obstruction and/or endometriosis and male factors associated to sperm disability. Several outcome parameters will be determined, the percentage of fertilization, embryo quality, rate of pregnancy and rate of birth. The study will be carried out in the Universitarian Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IUMER) which has been recently established in a public hospital depending on the National University of Córdoba, offering free high complexity infertility treatment to patients without health insurance or economic support

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
150
Inclusion Criteria
  • Clinical diagnosis for primary and secondary infertility
  • Healthy females or females with tubal obstruction (uni or bilateral) and/or endometriosis.
  • Clinical diagnosis for unexplained infertility.
  • Females between 18 and 40 years old.
  • Healthy males between 18 and 50 years old.
  • Males with oligozoospermia, teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia or asthenoteratozoospermia.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Low complexity assisted reproductive techniques
  • In vitro fertilization treatment
  • Other medical diagnosis of female infertility besides the inclusion criteria
  • Males with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ICSI ControlICSIIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with no intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay
ICSI + SSA Attractant substanceSperm Selection AssayIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay with attractant solution (attractant diluted in culture medium at 10 pM)
ICSI + SSA Attractant substanceAttractant SubstanceIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay with attractant solution (attractant diluted in culture medium at 10 pM)
ICSI + SSA placeboSperm Selection AssayIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay with control solution (culture medium)
ICSI + SSA placeboICSIIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay with control solution (culture medium)
ICSI + SSA Attractant substanceICSIIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg, with intervention of the Sperm Selection Assay with attractant solution (attractant diluted in culture medium at 10 pM)
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fertilization ratewithin 24 hs

Fertilization rate= number of fertilized oocyte (oocytes with 2 pronuclei) / Total of injected oocytes in metaphase II

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fecundation failures in ICSI rateWithin every cycle of ICSI

ICSI cycles with no oocyte fecundated / ICSI cycles

Blastocyst formation ratewithin 3 to 5 days after injection

number of embryos that reach blastocyst stage / number of total embryos

Abortion ratewithin 3 months post injection

number of abortions / number of pregnancies

Embryo qualitywithin 48 to 66hs post injection

Grade I: Embryos with blastomeres of same size without fragmentation (degree 1) with clear and homogeneous cytoplasm, II: Embryos with blastomeres of the same size and less than 30% of fragmentation (degree 2 or 3), III: Embryos with blastomeres of different size and 0% of fragmentation (degree 1), IV: Embryos with blastomeres of the same or different sizes with 30 to 50% of fragmentation (degree 4), V: Embryos with more than 50% of fragmentation (degree 5).

Transferable embryo ratewithin 72hs post injection

Transferable embryo rate= Number of embryos in condition to be transferred / Number of oocytes

Pregnancy ratewithin 30 days post injection

pregnancy rate= Number of positive implantation / Total of patients with transferred embryos

Birth rateUp to 42 weeks after positive implantation

Birth rate= Number or live birth / Total of positive pregnancy

Implantation yield72 hs post injection

Implantation rate= Number of implanted embryos / Number of transferred embryos

Division ratewithin 24-72 hs post injection

Division rate= divided embryos / oocytes with 2 pronuclei

multiple embryo ratewithin a month post injection

number of embryos with more than one gestational sac / total of embryos

clinic gestational ratewithin one month after injection

number of cycles when gestational sac is observed / total of cycles

biochemist gestational ratewithin 45 days after injection

number of cycles with positive beta human chorionic gonadotropin without gestational sac / total of cycles

Cycles without transferred embryos ratewithin 2 months after recruitment

number of cycles without transfer / number of cycles with ovaric puncture

Degree Fragmentationwithin 48hs to 66hs post injection

the embryos will be classified according with the size and distribution of cytoplasmic fragments in 5 categories. 1- Without fragments, 2- Up to 10% of fragmentation, 3- Up to 30% of fragmentation, 4- Between 30 to 50% of fragmentation and 5- More than 50% of fragmentation.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

HALITUS Instituto Médico

🇦🇷

Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina

Instituto Universitario de Medicina Reproductiva (IUMER)

🇦🇷

Cordoba, Córdoba, Argentina

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