Is perivitelline space morphology of the oocyte associated with pregnancy outcome in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles?

Abstract Objective(s) To investigate the effect of perivitelline space (PVS) abnormalities on the outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in which the entire cohort was affected. Study Design Data from 9752 oocytes obtained from 1151 ICSI cycles performed from June/2010 to August/2016 in a private university-affiliated IVF centre. Cycles were divided into four groups according to the presence or absence of PVS abnormalities: PVS-L group (cycles with the entire oocyte cohort affected by large PVS, n = 265), PVS-G group (cycles with the entire oocyte cohort affected by PVS granularity, n = 280), PVS-L + PVS-G group (cycles with the entire oocyte cohort affected by PVS-L and PVS-G, n = 204), and control group (cycles with the entire oocyte cohort free of PVS abnormalities, n = 402). The effect of PVS abnormalities on ICSI outcomes was assessed by GLM adjusted for potential confounders. Results Groups with PVS abnormalities presented substantially higher FSH/follicle (p  Conclusion(s) Cycles in which the entire oocyte cohort is affected by both large PVS and PVS granularity have compromised implantation and pregnancy rates.