During in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) an embryo is transferred to the uterus using a nutrient-rich liquid. This embryo transfer medium often contains hyaluronic acid, a substance commonly found in the human body, including the uterus. Hyaluronic acid rich embryo transfer medium is offered as an add-on that can enhance IVF outcomes, but studies investigating its effectiveness have received mixed results. Establishing whether hyaluronic acid is truly beneficial and safe is important for maximising IVF outcomes and pursuing evidence-based practice. Read More
Towards this aim, Dr Tope Adeniyi of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and his colleagues at The University of Manchester, conducted a study to investigate the effects of an embryo transfer medium that contains a high level of hyaluronic acid – called EmbryoGlue. The researchers had introduced this embryo transfer medium into routine clinical practice within their IVF facility in 2012.
Therefore, they set out to compare IVF outcomes before and after they began using it. The study included 3391 patients undergoing IVF between 2011 and 2015. In 1018 of the procedures, a low hyaluronic acid medium had been used, while 2373 procedures had employed EmbryoGlue. Around half of the embryos in the EmbryoGlue group had been exposed to the medium for 2 to 4 hours, while the other half had been exposed for 10 to 30 minutes, prior to embryo transfer.
Encouragingly, exposure to EmbryoGlue significantly increased the rates of pregnancy and live birth compared with exposure to the low hyaluronic acid medium. The length of time that the embryos were exposed to EmbryoGlue did not appear to affect these rates. Importantly, birth weight, a significant indicator of infant health, was not affected by EmbryoGlue exposure.
The risk of early pregnancy loss appeared to be reduced in the EmbryoGlue group, regardless of exposure time. However, when Dr Adeniyi and his colleagues performed statistical analysis on these results, they found that this difference was not statistically significant. This means that the difference could potentially be explained by random chance, and so further analysis is needed to determine whether this effect is real.
Similarly, the risk of late miscarriage differed between the long and short EmbryoGlue exposure groups, but these results were not statistically significant when compared with the low hyaluronic acid group.
Overall, the team’s results indicate that even short embryonic exposure to EmbryoGlue can enhance IVF outcomes. Their study also provides reassurance that this embryo transfer fluid does not increase the risk of adverse outcomes, such as low birth weight or pregnancy loss. Dr Adeniyi wishes to conduct further research to validate these results and learn more about the best ways to maximise IVF success.
