Sean Lauber: Which Embryo Culture Medium Offers the Best Chance of a Live Birth?
Sean Lauber, Founder of Remembryo, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper by Maitane Laverde et al. published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews:
“Embryos created during IVF are grown in embryo culture medium, which provides nutrients and supports their development before transfer or freezing.
There are many commercially available media, including G5, HTF, Global, and Sydney IVF, but it’s still unclear whether one performs better than another.
In this updated Cochrane review, Laverde et al. (2026) analyzed 26 randomized trials comparing different embryo culture media.
One study suggested that G5 may improve cumulative live birth compared with HTF, but overall the studies compared different culture media, making it impossible to combine the results in a meta-analysis.
Most comparisons also showed no clear differences in live birth or ongoing pregnancy rates.
The authors also noted that many studies were small or used study designs that made it difficult to determine which culture medium performs best. Larger, well-designed randomized trials are still needed.
‘There is currently no clear agreement on which type of embryo culture medium gives the best chances of having a live baby. The available research does not give enough reliable information to clearly choose one culture medium over another.’
This post is a quick look at one study, rather than a full breakdown on Remembryo.
Like this post? Get a free weekly summary of the latest IVF research.”
Title: Culture media for human pre‐implantation embryos in assisted reproductive technology cycles
Authors: Maitane Laverde, Miriam Zagers, Madelon van Wely, MA Youssef, Sebastiaan Mastenbroek
You can read the Full Article in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
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