But shaken and not moved?

January 28, 2011

But shaken and not moved?
– according to J. Bond –

Under the conditions of a natural pregnancy, the fertilized egg matures during the four to five days of transport through the fallopian tube. At the same time, the uterine lining develops so that the embryo can settle there. During the transport through the fallopian tube with the help of sectioned contractions, the embryo is constantly subjected to vibrations of approximately 6 Hz, which can increase to 20 Hz when the uterine fluid is mixed by the movement of the cilia that coat the fallopian tube.

The purpose of these vibrations is to transport the embryo towards the uterus and possibly to mix secretions and dilute toxic metabolic products produced by the embryo. However, in vitro fertilization usually involves cultivating the fertilized egg in a static culture system. This constantly poses the risk of toxic metabolic substances being produced, which can have adverse effects on the embryo at a certain concentration.

Against the background of these findings, a working group of the Section of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine at the University Women’s Clinic in Ulm investigated the extent to which the imitation of the natural oscillation pattern during in vitro fertilization using a vibration device leads to an improvement in the pregnancy rate. Using a vibrator, they generated a movement pattern for the embryos in the culture medium, just as under the „real“ conditions in the fallopian tube. The result was remarkable. The development of the embryo improved significantly. When a five-day-old embryo was transferred, the pregnancy rate was doubled from 36 percent to 73 percent.

Isachenko E, Maettner R, Isachenko V, Roth S, Kreienberg R, Sterzik K

Mechanical agitation during the in vitro culture of human pre-implantation embryos drastically increases the pregnancy rate
Clin. Lab. 2010;56(11-12):569-576