Kimball O Pomeroy

• PhD
• Science Director at Ivy Fertility

In this chapter, sophisticated automated systems that aim to reduce the risks of cryostorage along with manual systems of oversight will be described. Used correctly and with proper maintenance, the automated systems can add to a level of security. But it cannot be overstated that automation is no substitute for manual oversight of LN2 levels and s...

Background/Objectives: Open and closed vitrification systems are commonly employed in oocyte cryopreservation; however, there is limited evidence regarding a comparison of their separate impact on oocyte competence. This study uniquely brings to the literature, data on the effect of open versus closed vitrification systems on laboratory and clinica...

The aim of this guide is to describe different scenarios when remote IVF would be needed, considerations around how to plan for the procedure, proper equipment in the procedure room, and proper transportation of oocytes from the procedure room. There are two different scenarios for remote IVF: (1) IVF clinics designed knowing the embryology laborat...

Vitrified, or “frozen”, donor eggs can either be fertilized and cultured for fresh transfer (group 1), or fertilized and cryopreserved for transfer in a “frozen embryo transfer” cycle (group 2). This study compared the pregnancy rates between the two groups. Frozen donor egg cycles (N = 1213) were analyzed at the World Egg Bank. The outcome studied...

The purpose of this review is to educate the reader on the role that cryopreservation has played and continues to play in the ever evolving field of assisted reproductive technologies, specifically in clinical human fertility treatment. We discuss the science behind the cryopreservation methods and investigated some of the major considerations that...

Examine good tissue practices as relates to in vitro fertilization, biopsying, and vitrificationto compare current knowledge of ova, sperm, and embryos as vectors for disease transmission as it relates to our current knowledge regarding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Unknown risks relating to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and sperm, ova, and embryos necessitate a re...

In clinical IVF, the incubator is a surrogate oviduct and uterus. During this stage, the embryo normally travels through a dynamic environment from the oviduct to the uterus. Temperature, pH, osmolality, and many other environmental factors change during its journey. Current incubators and culture media are fairly static. The incubator must often p...

Purpose To determine liquid nitrogen evaporation rates of intact liquid nitrogen storage tanks and tanks with their vacuum removed. Methods Donated storage tank performance (LN2 evaporation) was evaluated before and after induced vacuum failure. Vacuum of each tank was removed by drilling through the vacuum port. Temperature probes were placed 2 i...

The recent failure of two liquid nitrogen storage tanks at two separate facilities in the United States has highlighted the need to reexamine our approach to how reproductive laboratories handle the storage of tissue. If we wish to truly understand how we can increase the security and safety of stored reproductive tissue, we really need to understa...

On March 4th two separate fertility centers reported malfunctioning equipment involved in keeping frozen eggs and embryos safe. University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center estimated 4,000 eggs and embryos may have been damaged by a malfunctioning storage tank. The tank had been having problems with its automatic refill and the clinic had been wor...

Maintaining consistent and reliably high success rates is a daily challenge for every IVF laboratory. This step-by-step guide is an essential aid in navigating the complex maze of physical, chemical, biological, and logistic parameters that underpin successful gamete and embryo culture: temperature, pH, osmolality, gas supplies, air quality, light...

Maintaining consistent and reliably high success rates is a daily challenge for every IVF laboratory. This step-by-step guide is an essential aid in navigating the complex maze of physical, chemical, biological, and logistic parameters that underpin successful gamete and embryo culture: temperature, pH, osmolality, gas supplies, air quality, light...

In oviparous animals, the egg hatches outside of the body and is exposed to light; in some cases throughout the development of the fetus. In mammals, fertilization and the growth of embryos in vivo occurs in the dark but in human IVF, these embryos are exposed to variable light sources and intensities. Light can affect embryonic development in some...

Several high-profile cases involving in vitro fertilization have recently received considerable media attention and highlight the importance of assuring patient and tissue identification. Within the assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratory, there are many steps where wrong patient or tissue identity could have drastic results. Erroneous id...

The IVF culture system is not a sterile system. Not only is the environment we work in full of bacteria, fungi and viruses, but our patient’s bodies (follicular aspirates, semen and the vaginal and cervical regions for egg retrieval and embryo transfer) also contain microbes. Regardless of the most meticulous care taken to provide a sterile environ...

To evaluate the validity of collecting day 3 embryo morphology variables into the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology Clinic Outcomes Reporting System (SART CORS). Retrospective. National database-SART CORS. Fresh autologous assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles from 2006-2007 in which embryos were transferred singly (n=1,020) or i...

Standardization of morphologic assessment for an embryo grading system was developed and is being implemented by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). A recent European consensus conference of embryologists from Europe and America is working toward adopting an embryo classification system modeled similarly to that of SART that, i...

A misconception in the field of reproductive medicine is that there is a significant risk of cross-contamination during gamete or embryo cryostorage. This article is a review of the available literature on animal models and human IVF and it suggests otherwise. There is a negligible risk of cross-contamination in IVF working conditions.

The development of sequential media is often reported as one of the reasons why human IVF pregnancy rates have increased over the last 10 years. The objective was to determine if a single culture medium (global) is as effective in human embryo culture as a sequential medium (G series) and whether embryos of some patients prefer one medium over the...

To investigate the sensitivity of human sperm survival bioassay to using known concentrations of potential toxin of formalin and to elevate the application value of human sperm motility assay as a quality control method in detecting the components used in IVF program. Fresh semen was obtained from healthy males at andrology laboratory by masturbati...

To evaluate the level of variance produced in a multicenter study with the use of a computer-assisted sperm morphology analyzer. A multicenter, prospective, blinded study. Assisted reproduction research laboratories. Semen samples produced for assisted reproductive procedures. Hamilton Thorne Research (Beverly, MA) integrated visual optical system...

A transgenic animal represents an enormous investment in time and money. Animals can be destroyed through disease, fire, malfuncnons in the control of the environment, negligence, sabotage, or accidental disposal. Researchers can protect valuable transgenic lines from accrdental destruction by "banking" them in liquid nitrogen. Cryopreservation can...

The following protocol is for freezing rat blastocysts by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen. Although this protocol is designed for freezing the embryos in polypropylene cryotubes, it could readily be adapted to 0.5-mL straws. For a general discussion of cryopreservation, the reader is referred to Chapter 25.

Although a method exists for freezing sheep embryos directly into liquid nitrogen without a programmable freezing machine, a more traditional slow cooling method is described here. Either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or ethylene glycol can be used as a cryoprotectant in this slow cooling method. Pregnancy rates for frozen embryos are similar to those...

Advances in cryopreservation enable one to freeze embryos without the use of a programmable freezing machine or complex protocols. These methods achieve high rates of survival when mouse embryos are frozen. Understanding the factors that influence the survival of cryopreserved embryos can aid troubleshooting and in adapting freezing strategies from...

Epididymal sperm were collected from C57Bl6/J X DBA2/J (B6D2) males and allowed to capacitate for 2 hr. When cumulus-free oocytes were exposed to sperm for 15 min in either the presence (6.0 mM) or absence of caffeine, fertilization did not occur. However, when cumulus cells were left intact, 23% of oocytes were fertilized in caffeine-free medium a...

Typescript (photocopy). Thesis (M.S.)--Colorado State University, 1985. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [70]-77).