TABLE 11.

The relationship between the long protocol, position (θ) of the meiotic spindle relative to the polar body, and outcomes.

Outcome	θ = 0°	0° < θ ≤ 30°	30° < θ ≤ 60°	60° < θ ≤ 90°	90° < θ ≤ 180°
Female age, mean years ± SD a	34.7 ± 3.8	35.4 ± 3.7	33.5 ± 3.9	33.7 ± 4.4	36.0 ± 4.1
	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
ICSI b
MII oocytes c	154	61	42	20	7
2PN2PB oocytes	106 (68.8)	47 (77.0)	33 (78.6)	16 (80.0)	5 (71.4)
1PN oocytes	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)
Multi‐PN oocytes	4 (2.6)	3 (4.9)	1 (2.4)	2 (10.0)	0 (0.0)
No‐PN oocytes	10 (6.5)	3 (4.9)	3 (7.1)	1 (5.0)	0 (0.0)
Unfertilized oocytes	26 (16.9)	4 (6.6)	4 (9.5)	1 (5.0)	1 (14.3)
Broken oocytes	8 (5.2)	4 (6.6)	1 (2.4)	0 (0.0)	1 (14.3)
Embryo development
Cultured 2PN2PB d	90	42	27	15	5
Blastocysts	65 (72.2)	30 (71.4)	14 (51.9)	10 (66.7)	5 (100.0)
Pregnancy, live birth, and miscarriage
Blastocyst transfer cycles	31	10	7	3	3
hCG‐positive	12 (38.7)	6 (60.0)	2 (28.6)	1 (33.3)	1 (33.3)
GS‐positive	7 (22.6)	5 (50.0)	2 (28.6)	1 (33.3)	1 (33.3)
FHM‐positive	6 (19.4)	5 (50.0)	1 (14.3)	1 (33.3)	0 (0.0)
LB/OP	5 (16.1)	3 (30.0)	1 (14.3)	1 (33.3)	–
Miscarriage e	2 (28.6)	2 (40.0)	1 (50.0)	0 (0.0)	1 (100.0)

Note: Holm test used to determine significance.

Abbreviations: FHM, fetal heart movement; GS, gestational sac; hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin; ICSI, intracytoplasmic sperm injection; LB/OP, live birth or ongoing pregnancy; MII, metaphase II; PB, polar body; PN, pronuclei.

^a Steel–Dwass test.

^b ICSI cycles using frozen‐thawed spermatozoa, spermatozoa retrieved by testicular sperm extraction, or oocytes that were artificially activated were excluded from the analysis.

^c Oocyte with spindle within ooplasm.

^d 2PN2PB oocytes cultured until confirmation of blastocyst formation.

^e Rate of miscarriage = Patients with miscarriage (n)/GS‐positive patients (n) × 100.