Noninvasive assessment of human embryo nutrient consumption as a measure of developmental potential

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between blastocyst development and morphology and embryo metabolism. Design: Noninvasive assessment of carbohydrate uptake and ammonium production by individual embryos. Setting: Private assisted reproductive technology unit. Patient(s): Patients donated, with consent, cryopreserved pronucleate embryos and noncryopreserved blastocysts. Intervention(s): Culture of 60 thawed pronucleate embryos in sequential media to the blastocyst stage with concomitant noninvasive analysis of embryo metabolism and analysis of 13 blastocysts from noncryopreserved embryos. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pyruvate and glucose consumption as well as blastocyst formation and qual..