Is the outcome of ICSI cycles affected by embryo transfer technique?

Is the outcome of ICSI cycles affected by embryo transfer technique?

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tenaculum usage during embryo transfer, on pregnancy rates of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. Methods: Thirty-eight ICSI cases in which cervix uteri were held with tenaculum during embryo transfer were compared to 76 cases in which embryo transfer was performed easily by a transfer catheter. Results: Both groups were comparable for female age, etiology of infertility, and number of embryos transferred. Sixteen of the thirty-eight women (42.1%) in the former group became β-hCG test positive; however, only 14 cases (36.8%) progressed to clinical pregnancy. In the latter group, 30 of the 76 cases (39.5%) were β-hCG test positive, and 25 cases (32.9%) turned into clinical pregnancy. There was no significant difference among the biochemical or clinical pregnancy rates of the two groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: In comparison of the two groups with similar characteristics, holding the cervix uteri with tenaculum during embryo transfer, a procedure that might induce prostaglandin secretion and cause minimal bleeding, did not create a significant difference between the pregnancy rates of the two groups. Therefore, correcting the position of the cervix and the uterus during embryo transfer, by holding with an instrument may be advisable instead of a hard and long transfer by only using the transfer catheter.

___