OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether swine oocytes are useful for training new technicians in a human reproduction laboratory. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Graduate school in assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in Brazil. PATIENT(S): Students in a human reproduction laboratory. INTERVENTION(S): Medium-sized follicles were aspirated from prepubertal gilts' ovaries and collected at a slaughterhouse. Oocytes were retrieved from the follicular fluid. Twenty-one students trained during four periods of 20 hours each were evaluated as to their ability to perform micromanipulation and were compared with a group of well-trained professionals (control group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Students' ability in oocyte retrieval, oocyte manipulation, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection during and after the 80 hours of training. RESULT(S): Students were able to retrieve, on average, 23.8 oocytes per ovary. Their micromanipulation skills substantially increased, reaching an oocyte retrieval rate of 77.2%, compared with 84.9% in the control group after the training period. Although the oocyte damage rate gradually decreased, from 52.0% after 20 hours of training to 5.4% after 80 hours, these figures were still above the control group oocyte damage rate by 0.3%, which was a statistically significant level. Regarding intracytoplasmic sperm injection, within 40 hours, no students were able to perform a single injection; and by the end of 80 hours, they achieved an average of 4.0 oocytes per hour, whereas the control group injected 20.6 oocytes per hour, a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION(S): Swine ovaries may be a useful tool in the spectrum of training techniques for unskilled assisted reproductive techniques laboratory professionals.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether swine oocytes are useful for training new technicians in a human reproduction laboratory. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Graduate school in assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in Brazil. PATIENT(S): Students in a human reproduction laboratory. INTERVENTION(S): Medium-sized follicles were aspirated from prepubertal gilts' ovaries and collected at a slaughterhouse. Oocytes were retrieved from the follicular fluid. Twenty-one students trained during four periods of 20 hours each were evaluated as to their ability to perform micromanipulation and were compared with a group of well-trained professionals (control group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Students' ability in oocyte retrieval, oocyte manipulation, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection during and after the 80 hours of training. RESULT(S): Students were able to retrieve, on average, 23.8 oocytes per ovary. Their micromanipulation skills substantially increased, reaching an oocyte retrieval rate of 77.2%, compared with 84.9% in the control group after the training period. Although the oocyte damage rate gradually decreased, from 52.0% after 20 hours of training to 5.4% after 80 hours, these figures were still above the control group oocyte damage rate by 0.3%, which was a statistically significant level. Regarding intracytoplasmic sperm injection, within 40 hours, no students were able to perform a single injection; and by the end of 80 hours, they achieved an average of 4.0 oocytes per hour, whereas the control group injected 20.6 oocytes per hour, a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION(S): Swineovaries may be a useful tool in the spectrum of training techniques for unskilled assisted reproductive techniques laboratory professionals.