Embryo Glue ivf success is a culture medium used in embryo transfer. By the effect of ingredient substance named as hyaluronan, embryo’s chance of adhesion within uterus increases.
What is Embryo Glue ?
In the course of time beginning from first IVF applications, success in treatment gradually increases. It is very pleasing that 10-15 percent of success rate in the early years of application is nowadays reached out 50-60 percent. Most important role in this increase is the development related to grow the embryos in laboratory environment. In In-vitro fertilization application germ cells are combined in laboratory environment instead of mother’s body and embryos are grown within special liquids imitating the same developments within mother’s womb. It is one of the important matters limiting the productivity of treatment in IVF applications. Laboratory conditions could never fully imitate the characteristics of mother’s body. But the improvements in laboratory conditions are increasing this similarity day by day, and this directly effects the success in treatment.
“Embryo Glue”, is a trade name of a special culture medium will become available in the market. During transfer of embryos within uterus, this culture medium is the liquid which hosting the embryos within catheter and carrying these embryos into uterus. Characteristics of this liquid is a substance called as “hyaluronan”. It is believed that adding this substance to cultivation liquid during embryo transfer, increases the adhesion embryos within uterus.
During the transfer of embryos, a cultivation liquid which embryos will be grown inside for 3 or 5 days and prepared for developing embryos in laboratory environment has been used until this time. This forthcoming transfer culture medium comprises some different features than the liquid used for developing embryos within laboratory environment. Most important difference is the hyaluronan substance within the liquid. Hyaluronan is a substance proved in many other branches of medicine and plays an important role to determine the bond between cells and distinctive features of cells. The effect of this substance on relation between embryo- endometrium is still unknown. Designated reason is this substance increases the embryo’s chance of adhesion within uterus. Embryo Glue could be alleged that the substance increases its effect with these ways:
- Hyaluronan strengthens bonds between cells and cell-tissue.
- Hyaluronan has the feature to stimulate vascularisation.
- Adding hyaluronan to cultivation liquid can decrease the viscosity. As more viscose-viscous is not injected inside uterus in this manner, it is alleged that embryo’s chance of adhesion increases.
There is only a single study realized by transfer environment comprising hyaluronan. This study has been submitted in 2002 meeting of American Society of Reproductive Medicine. In this study, hyaluronan comprising transfer culture medium has been used in 73 patients and classic transfer environment used in 68 patients. Adhesion chance (implantation rate) per embryo, which was 21.7 percent in classic transfer environment, increases to 45.8 percent in hyaluronan group. Similarly pregnancy rates increases from 48.5 percent to 58.9 percent.
Success rate in IVF treatment is not solely related to embryo culture medium. There are many factors effecting success rate in treatment. Solely renewing cultivation environment without making any change in a defective structure and misconduct system as there are halting points in laboratory; utilization of new culture medium will not contribute to the success rate. Success after treatment can be achieved by ideally combining two separate systems composed from clinic and laboratory. When a non-effective material delivered to laboratory by the clinic, it will be so hard to provide high quality embryos from this material regardless of which culture medium is used. Subsequent to any unsuccessful treatment many aspects should be reviewed. One of the important points in treatment is to provide high quality egg production. At this point, suitable medicine protocol and dosage should be selected, tracking of egg development should be sustained accurately and elaborately, hCG should be injected in a timely manner, egg collection and embryo transfer actions should be realized properly. In careless and casual treatments, renewing the laboratory techniques will not serve the purpose.
Embryo Glue is neither a technique nor an operation. Embryos will not stick on the inner walls of uterus. Embryo (if it is healthy) will automatically realize the bonding action by itself. An embryo which does not have bonding potential, will not stick (at least for now or in near future) to inner walls of uterus with any transaction or substance. Embryo’s adhesion to inner walls is still a mystery. All we know is that secretion of some materials during this period is increased within the uterus or the embryo or the bonding action does not occur in any shortage of some materials. Science uses this indirect knowledge to increase the effectiveness of treatment. Hyaluronan or aforementioned “Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)” are the examples of these. Since we did not cause-effect relation on this matter, we only try to increase our chance by compensating the possible deficiencies. Accordingly, the transfers realized by hyaluronan added culture mediums will not increase the success rate in IVF applications to 100 percent. Perhaps, it will be efficient in a specific patient group and will not help all patients. But any improvement that can increase success rate 1 or 5 percent will mean a lot both us.
Hyaluronan enriched embryo transfer culture medium has been used in limited number of IVF centers worldwide. It is expected that culture medium will be released to market within 4-6 months for all IVF centers. Accordingly, information about this new culture medium is very limited.
