New sperm selection method tested for IVF success
NCT ID NCT05859152
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a new way to select sperm for IVF. Instead of an embryologist picking the best-looking sperm, they used sperm that naturally attached to the outer layer of an immature egg. The goal was to see if this method leads to more embryos developing into blastocysts. The study involved 29 couples undergoing their first IVF cycle.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Zona Pellucida-Bound Sperm Selection for ICSI
- What this could lead to
- If this method works, it could improve embryo quality and success rates for IVF patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 29 participants. The new method may not be better than the standard approach, and results may not apply to all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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29 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 41 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Undergoing their first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle * Electing single embryo transfer * Electing preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) of their embryos * Female partners age \<42 years old at start of vaginal oocyte retrieval cycle, but \>18 years old. * Normal ovarian reserve: * Antimullerian hormone level (AMH) ≥ 1.2 ng/mL * Antral follicle count (AFC) ≥ 8 * At least 4 mature oocytes (M2s) retrieved at the VOR procedure in order to randomize * At least 1 immature oocyteretrieved at the VOR procedure to perform ZP binding co-incubation procedure * Intention to transfer the morphological best quality, euploid, embryo at the frozen embryo transfer procedure Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to IVF * Clinical indication for preimplantation genetic testing (i.e., screening for single gene disorder, chromosomal translocation, or any other disorders requiring a more detailed embryo genetic analysis) * Male partner with azoospermia or oligozoospermia (\<100,000 total motile spermatozoa) * Male partner with Y-chromosome microdeletion * Male partner with any Karyotype other than 46,XY * Male partner requiring surgically obtained sperm either via testicular or epididymal retrieval procedures * Uncorrected hydrosalpinges that communicate with the endometrial cavity * Endometrial Insufficiency, as defined by a prior cycle with maximal endometrial thickness \<6mm,), or persistent endometrial fluid * Donor oocyte cycles * Gestational carriers
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Reproductive Medicine Associates of Northern California
San Francisco, California, 94105, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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