Human parthenogenetic blastocysts derived from noninseminated cryopreserved human oocytes

Objective To report on the development of human parthenogenetic blastocysts and an in vitro attachment that was generated from noninseminated cryopreserved human oocytes for the first time. Design Prospective study. Setting Department of reproductive medicine in a medical institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Patient(s) Five healthy fertile donors. Intervention(s) Artificial activation of noninseminated cryopreserved human oocytes after thawing, parthenote culture, and their in vitro attachment. Main Outcome Measure(s) Survival rate, activation rate, cleavage rate, and blastocyst formation. Result(s) Thirty-six of 38 cryopreserved noninseminated oocytes survived after thawing (survival rate, 94.7%). Thirty-one of 36 oocytes showed one pronucleus (activation rate, 86.1%). Thirty of 31 cleaved (cleavage rate, 96.8%). Five of 30 showed cavitation (blastocyst rate, 16.7%). Conclusion(s) Noninseminated cryopreserved human oocytes showed a high survival rate after thawing. They responded very satisfactorily to artificial activation, which was followed by a high rate of parthenogenetic embryos, which can develop into blastocysts. In the future, these could be a new source for development of human parthenogenetic stem cells.