Summary
Autologous endometrial coculture (AECC or, simply, coculture) is an advanced IVF technique utilized to promote normal embryo development and thereby increase a patient's chance of a healthy pregnancy. Coculture is a process by which embryos develop on culture containing cells grown from the patient’s own endometrium (uterine lining).
Endometrial coculture may be an effective supplement to IVF in certain circumstances, including patients who have had multiple failed IVF cycles, or those with previous poor embryo quality.
Endometrial Sampling
At the designated time in the patient’s menstrual cycle, the physician collects a small sample of the endometrium. Endometrial biopsy is a brief, outpatient procedure that does not typically require sedation.
Coculture
The endometrial cells collected by the physician are grown in the Embryology Laboratory. These cells are thawed prior to oocyte retrieval. Then, the embryos are placed with the cultured endometrial cells to support embryonic development. CRM is one of the first centers to publish research on the benefits of embryo coculture in conjunction with IVF.