Comparison of Clinical Pregnancy from Humidified and Dry Incubation of Embryos in a Tropical Region

Abstract

The laboratory induced cellular stress on zygotes and embryos in their could negatively influence the clinical outcome. One of the core components of an IVF lab is the culture incubator. Incubators can provide a stable and Appropriate culture environment by regulating optimal conditions on parameters such as temperature, gas levels and humidity. Clinical studies which compare incubator characteristics may provide insight to their efficacy. In humid conditions of the tropical climate, the incubators without humidifiers can also be used. this study was done to identify the role of a humidifier in a tropical country. In this retrospective study, embryos from a total of 787 patients were cultured as two groups -A and B in two different types of incubators- humidified and dry, respectively. 647 patients in group A and 140 patients in group B were examined for the developmental parameters. The embryos were frozen at the stage and replaced in subsequent frozen embryo transfer cycles. The resulted pregnancy, miscarriage and the clinical pregnancy outcomes were compared. The data was subjected to statistical validation. There was no significant difference observed in the clinical pregnancy rates between the groups. This study validates the possible use of dry incubators for the in culture of human embryos in tropical climate without aiding any humidification.