{"id":62,"date":"2010-10-17T15:03:08","date_gmt":"2010-10-17T15:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/?page_id=62"},"modified":"2023-11-29T14:02:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T14:02:22","slug":"oocyteicsi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/services\/reproduction\/oocyteicsi\/","title":{"rendered":"Oocyte\/ICSI Services"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.4&#8243; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"main_title\"><span style=\"color: #666666; font-size: 16px;\"><strong>Harvesting Oocytes and ICSI<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><strong>How are oocytes harvested from a\u00a0mare and what is ICSI?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oocytes are eggs that come from the follicles on the mare&#8217;s ovaries. Harvesting oocytes is the process by which the oocytes are removed from the follicles and are cultured in the lab for maturation. Mature oocytes are subsequently injected with individual sperm from the stallion, a procedure we refer to as ICSI. The resulting oocytes are then cultured in the laboratory for 7-10 days. At this point any viable embryos that have developed can be transferred to recipient mares or frozen for later use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Advantages of ICSI<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some mare&#8217;s may be\u00a0unable to become pregnant themselves (chronic uterine infections, complicating cervical\u00a0abnormalities, blocked oviducts or other oviductal pathology, abnormal ovulations (anovulatory follicles), or any other conditions that prevent the mare from conceiving or providing a healthy environment for the\u00a0embryo)<\/li>\n<li>Stallions with limited sperm availability. Some stallions may simply have low fertility. Other stallions may be deceased and only a certain amount of semen is available. ICSI should be considered when only 1 or 2 straws of frozen semen remain from a stallion that is no longer alive or additional semen cannot be collected. Sperm injection could theoretically be used to produce multiple foals from a single straw of semen. For example, a small piece of the straw could be utilized, while the rest of the straw remains frozen. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Success Rates<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oocytes can be recovered by transvaginal aspiration once every two weeks. Multiple oocytes are typically recovered through each attempt. Of those immature follicles aspirated, we will recover oocytes from approximately 80% of them. Each aspiration session yields on average 1.2 embryo&#8217;s.  Transferred ICSI embryos result in a slightly higher early embryonic loss than our naturally produced embryos. The mare&#8217;s age and her oocyte quality significantly affects these numbers. Older mares, with poor oocyte quality can take several attempts to result in a pregnancy. Some mares may have decreased numbers of follicles available at the time of aspiration which also affects overall success. Viable pregnancies are highly mare-dependent. Some mares may produce multiple embryos and pregnancies in the first cycle, others may take several more attempts, with the average being around 3 cycles to result in one pregnancy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Post-mortem\u00a0Oocyte Recovery<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, sudden death or terminal disease or injury may affect your mare. In this case, the ovaries\u00a0can be harvested from the mare\u00a0in order to utilize for ICSI\u00a0immediately following death or euthanasia. Please contact our office for more information on this procedure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Click here for\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/equinefertilityinstitute.com\/index.php\/new-client-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New Client Form<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Click here for\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/equinefertilityinstitute.com\/index.php\/general-check-in\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General Check In<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Click here\u00a0for\u00a0the link to <em><a title=\"Oocyte\/ICSI Contract\" href=\"https:\/\/equinefertilityinstitute.com\/index.php\/opu-icsi-contract\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oocyte\/ICSI Contract<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Feel free to contact us if you have any questions concerning our Oocyte\/ICSI\u00a0Services at PEVS.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">We are always available for a consultation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">If you have any questions and would like to speak with a Veterinarian, please call us at\u00a0803-641-0644<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=&#8221;4.17.4&#8243; global_module=&#8221;3474&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]          <\/p>\n<div class=\"sporthorse_tab_widget\"<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->              data-title=&#8221;LATEST UPDATES&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->              data-top=&#8221;45%&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->              data-channel_id=&#8221;bee35e985f3a537162d6ae4d5e1ea7cf&#8221;<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->              data-shop=&#8221;https:\/\/sporthorse.myshopify.com&#8221;><\/div>\n<p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->          <script>if(window.isl===undefined){var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='https:\/\/sporthorse.myshopify.com\/apps\/sphrx\/assets\/sporthorse\/channel.js?v=4';document.head.appendChild(a);window.isl=1;}<\/script><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->        [\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harvesting Oocytes and ICSI How are oocytes harvested from a\u00a0mare and what is ICSI? Oocytes are eggs that come from the follicles on the mare&#8217;s ovaries. Harvesting oocytes is the process by which the oocytes are removed from the follicles and are cultured in the lab for maturation. Mature oocytes are subsequently injected with individual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":38,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<h1 class=\"main_title\">\u00a0<\/h1><div class=\"entry-content\"><p>Information on Harvesting Oocytes and ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection)<\/p><p><strong>How are oocytes harvested from a\u00a0mare and what is ICSI?<\/strong><\/p><p>Oocytes are eggs that come from the follicles on the mare's ovaries. \u00a0The oocyte is released from the follicle on the ovary\u00a0during ovulation and travels into the fallopian tube where it meets a sperm cell from the male and fertilization occurs. \u00a0The resulting embryo then travels to the uterus for implantation and development.<\/p><p>Harvesting oocytes is the process by which the oocytes are removed from the follicles and then in the lab are cultured and matured (maturation is roughly\u00a012-30 hours, this\u00a0is dependent upon the stage of the oocyte at the recovery). \u00a0These oocytes are subsequently injected with individual sperm from the stallion, a procedure we refer to as ICSI. \u00a0The resulting embryo is then matured in the laboratory for about 7-10 days\u00a0and then is available for transfer into a recipient mare or frozen for later use.<\/p><p>You may ask what is the advantage of\u00a0harvesting oocyte's from a mare and doing ICSI vs an embryo transfer?<\/p><ul><li>Some mare's may be\u00a0unable to become pregnant themselves (chronic uterine infections, complicating cervical\u00a0abnormalities, blocked oviducts or other oviductal pathology, abnormal ovulations (anovulatory follicles), or any other conditions that prevent the mare from conceiving or providing a healthy environment for the\u00a0embryo)<\/li><li>Stallions with limited sperm availability. \u00a0Some stallions may simply have low fertility. \u00a0Other\u00a0stallions may be deceased and only a certain amount of semen is available. \u00a0ICSI\u00a0should be considered when only 1 or 2 straws of frozen semen remain from a stallion that is no longer alive or additional semen cannot be collected. \u00a0Sperm injection could theoretically be used to produce multiple foals from a single straw of semen. \u00a0For example, a small piece of the frozen straw could be snipped off under liquid nitrogen and thawed, while the rest of the straw remained frozen (i.e. cut-straw approach). \u00a0Alternatively, the entire straw could be thawed and the contents diluted in additional semen extender and refrozen in many smaller straws (i.e. refrozen semen approach). \u00a0In either situation, the overall principle is conservation and maximum use of a limited number of sperm from a valuable stallion.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Success Rates<\/strong><\/p><p>Oocytes can be recovered by transvaginal aspiration once every two weeks. \u00a0Multiple oocytes are typically recovered through each attempt. \u00a0Of those immature follicles aspirated, we will recover oocytes from 50-60% of them. \u00a0Mature follicles are a little higher at 75%. \u00a0Typically one third\u00a0of the resulting embryo's created will make it into recipients. Therefore, each aspiration session yields on average 1.2 embryo's. \u00a0ICSI transferred embryo's result in a slightly higher early embryonic\u00a0loss than our naturally produced\u00a0embryo's. \u00a0The mare's age and her oocyte quality significantly affects these numbers. \u00a0Older mares, with poor oocyte quality can take several attempts to result in a pregnancy. \u00a0Some mares may have decreased numbers of follicles\u00a0available at the time of aspiration which also affects overall success. \u00a0Viable pregnancies are\u00a0highly mare-dependent. \u00a0Some mares may produce multiple embryos and pregnancies in the first cycle, others may take several more attempts, especially if they are older, with the average being around 3 cycles to result in one pregnancy.<\/p><p><strong><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Post-mortem\u00a0Oocyte Recovery<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Unfortunately, sudden death or terminal disease or injury may affect your mare. In this case, the ovaries\u00a0can be harvested from the mare\u00a0in order to utilize for ICSI\u00a0immediately following death or euthanasia. Please contact our office for more information on this procedure.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>\u2013 Click here\u00a0for\u00a0the link to <a title=\"Oocyte\/ICSI Contract\" href=\"http:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/2015Oocyte_ICSIContract.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oocyte\/ICSI Contract<\/a><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">Feel free to contact us if you have any questions concerning our Oocyte\/ICSI\u00a0Services at PEVS.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">We are always available for a consultation.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\">If you have any questions and would like to speak with a Veterinarian, please call us at\u00a0803-641-0644<\/p><\/div>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-62","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5873,"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/62\/revisions\/5873"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.performanceequinevets.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}