Morphology and clinical outcomes of embryos after in vitro fertilization are superior to those after intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Objective: To compare embryos obtained after IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) regarding morphology and the Likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy. Design: Case-control study. Setting: An IVF unit controlling 1,310 cycles in 1996. Patient(s): Women having a total of 477 IVF and 475 ICSI consecutive cycles. Intervention(s): Ovarian stimulation, IVF-ET, or ICSI-ET for all couples. Main Outcome Measure(s): Number of grade-A embryos transferred, preclinical pregnancy losses, and clinical pregnancy rates in IVF and ICSI cycles. Result(s): In comparison with the ICSI group, the IVF group showed significantly more grade-if embryos available for transfer (mean, 2 +/- 1.6 versus 1.8 +/- 1.5), significantly fewer preclinical pregnancy losses (1.6% versus 4%), and significantly higher clinical pregnancy rates (25% versus 19.1%). Conclusion(s): Embryos obtained after IVF are superior to those obtained after ICSI in relation to embryo morphology and the likelihood of achieving clinical pregnancy. (C) 1997 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.