Objectives: To compare the effect of supplementation of serum and Plasmanate, a commercial serum substitute, to culture medium on the IVF outcome.
Methods: One hundred eighty-nine subfertile couples were prospective randomized into the serum and the Plasmanate group during their IVF treatment. In vitro experiment was also performed to determine the fraction of Plasmanate that might affect embryo development.
Results: The pregnancy rate were similar in both groups. The fertilization rate, the number of gestational sacs and good quality spare embryos suitable for cryopreservation were higher in the serum group than the Plasmanate group. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Significantly more embryos in the former cleaved to more than 4 cells at the time of transfer than the latter (p < 0.05). Ultrafiltration study showed that this inhibitory effect resided in the low molecular weight fraction (< 30-KD) of Plasmanate.
Conclusion: Serum is slightly better than Plasmanate as a protein supplement. However, Plasmanate may still be used for short term embryo culture in assisted reproduction.