Outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection with and without polar body diagnosis of oocytes

Objective: To compare the reproductive outcome of women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with or without polar body diagnosis of oocytes. Design: Nonrandomized retrospective study. Setting: University-based human genetic institute in collaboration with a private fertility center. Patient(s): Six hundred seven women undergoing ICSI with polar body diagnosis and 591 women undergoing ICSI without polar body diagnosis at the same time in the same fertility center. Intervention(s): Polar body testing of ICSI oocytes by five-color fluorescence in situ hybridization. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy rate (positive fetal heartbeats) and live-birth rate (of at least one child). Result(s): The pregnancy and live-birth rates were significantly lower in women undergoing ICSI with polar body diagnosis than in women without polar body diagnosis. The negative effects of polar body diagnosis were evident in all analyzed subgroups, that is, women of different age groups, with one ICSI cycle, with transfer of a high-quality embryo, and with male factor infertility as indication for ICSI. Conclusion(s): Within the legal restrictions of the German embryo protection law aneuploidy testing of oocytes may not improve reproductive outcome. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010;93:405-15. (C)2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)