EXTENDED INDUCTION OF OVULATION BY HUMAN MENOPAUSAL GONADOTROPINS ANDA GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE ANALOG IN HIGH RESPONDERS FOR IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION AND OOCYTE DONATION

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of extending ovulation induction fo r the in vivo maturation of oocytes. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-nine high res ponders underwent 72 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles with a conven tional protocol of human menopausal gonadotropin and a gonadotropin-re leasing hormone analog. These patients donated oocytes to 81 recipient s. The same 59 patients underwent 90 subsequent cycles in which the du ration of induction was extended by two to three days. The oocytes wer e also donated to 138 patients. RESULTS: With the extended protocol, s ignificantly move oocytes were retrieved (29.1 vs. 20.6), and a greate r proportion of them were mature. Fertilization rates were significant ly higher for both donors (67.7% vs. 36.2%) and recipients (67.5% vs. 47.1%). Conception rates were also significantly higher for both donor s (24.4% vs. 11.1%) and recipients (38.4% vs. 24.7%). CONCLUSION: Exte nding the duration of ovulation induction in high responders is associ ated with in vivo maturation of oocytes and improved success vates in IVF and ovum-donation programs.