Could Artificial Oocyte Activation following ICSI ImproveFertilization, and Pregnancy in Couples with MaleFactor Infertility

Introduction: The intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) hasbeen capable of significantly improving male factor infertility,but fertilization failure after ICSI s till occurs in ۱–۵%, and theprimary reason for this failure is a lack of oocyte activation. Forthese cases, artificial oocyte activation (AOA) by a chemicalagent or an electrical pulse following ICSI is recommended. Inmos t fertility centers, this procedure is performed for coupleswith previous failed fertilization and/or severe teratozoospermialike globozoospermia. Therefore, this presentation aims toreport the clinical results of the ICSI-AOA technique, and thes tatus of the health of children born through this procedure.Methods: This presentation covers the clinical outcomes of theICSI-AOA technique and the health of children through metaanalysis,clinical trials, and case report s tudies during a periodof recent ۱۵ years. It also covers fifteen of our published papersregarding ICSI-AOA.Results: According to background literature and our results,couples with previous failed fertilization and/or severe teratozoospermiaand/or globozoospermic men may benefit fromICSI-AOA in terms of fertilization, which in turn, may improvethe implantation and pregnancy rates. However exis ting conflictsin the literature on the effect of AOA on fertilization ratemay have resulted from case selection, limited sample number,and type of agent used to induce AOA. Therefore, to resolvethese ambiguities, prospective, randomized clinical trials areneeded.Conclusion: Regarding the health of children born through thistechnique, it has been reported that the health of these childrenis likely not jeopardized by this technique. Interes tingly, recentclinical s tudies sugges t that the normal ICSI cycle may alsobenefit from this technique and molecular analysis has shownthat the molecular signature of ICSI-AOA is close to IVF-derivedembryos as compared with those of ICSI to IVF