Is hydrosalpinx fluid cytotoxic?
I Granot, N Dekel, I Segal, S Fieldust, Z Shoham and A Barash IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Kaplan Medical Centre, Rehovot, Israel. Accumulation of oviductal fluid in the ampullar lumen as a result of occlusion of the infundibulum is referred to as hydrosalpinx. A low pregnancy rate (10%) after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in hydrosalpinx patients and a relatively high incidence (50%) of abortions during the first trimester suggested that leakage of this fluid into the uterine cavity may exert a cytotoxic effect on the developing embryo. To examine this possibility, we analysed the composition of the hydrosalpinx fluid and tested its effect on human granulosa cells and embryos. Hydrosalpinx fluids and granulosa cells were collected from IVF patients at ovum pick-up. IVF eggs containing three pronuclei (3PN) were employed for this study. Analysis of hydrosalpinx fluids revealed electrolyte concentrations similar to those in serum with lower amounts of total pro
