A CONTROLLED OVARIAN HYPERSTIMULATION REGIMEN INVOLVING INTERMITTENT GONADOTROPIN ADMINISTRATION WITH A SHORT PROTOCOL OF GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE AGONIST FOR IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION

Purpose: To examine the effects of an intermittent injection regimen o f exogenous gonadotropin for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation on fo llicular development and on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome, 120 women who were candidates for IVF received intermittent injection (II) or consecutive injection (CI) regimens with a ''short'' protocol (SP) ol a ''long'' protocol (LP) of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). Pure follicle stimulating hormone (pFSH) was injected to the women in the II groups on the first, second, and fifth days of the st imulation cycle and every other day thereafter. The women in the CI gr oups received a daily injection of pFSH. An additional 16 patients who were treated with both II-SP and CI-LP were also analyzed. Results: A lthough the cancellation rate in the II-LP group was higher than those in the other groups, follicular development and IVF outcomes in the I I-SP group were similar to those in the CI groups. The number of injec tions in the II-SI group was about half that in the CI groups. Conclus ions: These results indicate that an intermittent pFSH injection regim en with a ''short'' protocol of GnRHa may be beneficial for patients i n terms not only of being a less painful treatment but also causing le ss physical and mental stress than daily injections.