In a nutshell
The study evaluated the effectiveness of intralipid administration to improve in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. The main finding was that injecting intralipid in women during IVF showed promising results in improving pregnancy and live birth rates.
Some background
Infertility is faced by many couples and IVF is one way to achieve pregnancy. IVF is the process of uniting the egg and sperm in the lab and then implanting the embryo into the uterus after fertilization. However, the success rate of IVF is low. Many women have experienced repeated implantation failure (RIF) or spontaneous repeated abortions (RSA). One main reason behind RIF and RSA is immune abnormalities. Therefore, immunotherapies have been explored such as intralipid administration.
Intralipid is a fat compound that consists of soybean oil. Intralipid is used as an energy source and for biological and immunologic functions. The function of intralipid is not clear but many studies believed that soybean oil stops the activity of natural killer cells. Natural killer cells can react abnormally when an embryo is implated in women with immunological abnnormalities.
Many studies have investigated the use of injecting intralipid in women undergoing IVF. However, there has been some inconsistency with the studies. Therefore, it is important to conclude the effectiveness of intralipid administration in improving IVF outcomes.
Methods & findings
This study analyzed 5 other studies that involved injecting women with intralipid during IVF. Together, there were 840 patients.
Intralipid administration during IVF was associated with a 48% higher clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) compare to control groups. There was an 85% higher chance of a better live birth rate (LBR) in the intralipid administration group compared to the control groups.
However, to use of intralipid had no impact on the miscarriage rate. In two of the analyzed trials, there were a few cases of congenital abnormalities such a diaphragmatic hernia (the abdominal organs can reach the thoracic cavity due to a defect in the diaphragm) or congenital ear abnormalities. However, these defects were not found in the other studies.
The bottom line
This study concluded that intralipid administration during IVF improved clinical pregnancy and live birth rate outcomes.
The fine print
Only a small number of studies were included. Larger randomized studies are needed to validate the findings.
Published By :
Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine
Date :
Sep 01, 2021
