R. Fanchin et al., PREMATURE PROGESTERONE ELEVATION DOES NOT ALTER OOCYTE QUALITY IN IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION, Fertility and sterility, 65(6), 1996, pp. 1178-1183
Objective: To clarify whether premature P elevation during controlled
ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for NF-ET affects adversely oocyte-embr
yo quality. Design: Controlled clinical study. Patients: We studied 10
2 fertile donors undergoing 106 oocyte retrievals and 117 recipients u
ndergoing 162 ET. Interventions: Donors underwent COH with a time-rele
ase GnRH agonist and hMG. All recipients had inactive or absent ovarie
s and were primed with E(2) and P.Main Outcome Measures: Measurement o
f LH, P, and E(2); characteristics of COH; cleavage, pregnancy, and im
plantation rates. Results: According to donors' plasma P levels on the
day of hCG, two groups were defined: P less than or equal to 0.9 ng/m
L (conversion factor to SI unit, 3.18), group A, and P > 0.9 ng/mL, gr
oup B. Similar results of cleavage (65% and 72%), clinical (30% and 29
%), and ongoing pregnancy (20% and 18%), and implantation (14% and 15%
) rates were observed in both groups, respectively. Conclusions: The l
ack of difference in cleavage, pregnancy, and implantation rates betwe
en both groups suggests that preovulation increase in P production doe
s not alter oocyte-embryo quality. Hence, the reported adverse effects
on IVF outcome of pre-hCG elevation of P is likely to reflect an impa
ired endometrial receptivity in the high P group.