Comparison of costs associated with substituting culture medium with saline solution for follicular flushing during oocyte retrieval

Objectives: To compare culture medium and saline solution for follicular flushing during oocyte retrieval with assisted reproductive technologies.

Methods: The present retrospective study analyzed data collected at Galway Fertility Clinic, Galway, Ireland, between January 1, 2015 and August 31, 2016; all patients attending the clinic for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection during this period were included. Data were stratified by whether follicular flushing was performed with culture medium or saline, and the oocyte yield rate, fertilization rate, embryo utilization rate, and biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates were compared between the groups.

Results: In total, 422 oocyte retrieval procedures with culture medium and 277 with normal saline were analyzed. The fertilization (P=0.676) and clinical pregnancy rates (P=0.593) did not differ between the groups. Using normal saline resulted in an approximately 41-fold per-patient cost saving compared with culture medium.

Conclusion: Switching from culture medium to normal saline for follicular flushing significantly reduced oocyte-retrieval costs without adversely affecting reproductive outcomes.