ELEVATED SERUM PROGESTERONE LEVELS ON THE DAY OF HUMAN CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN ADMINISTRATION IN IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION CYCLES DO NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT EMBRYO QUALITY

Objective: To assess the effect of an elevated serum P level on the da y of hCG administration in an IVF cycle on resulting embryos by evalua ting their performance at subsequent frozen ET. Design: A retrospectiv e study. Participants: Ninety-six consecutive patients undergoing froz en ET cycles were studied in a tertiary care center. Main Outcome Meas ures: Serum obtained on the day of hCG administration in an IVF cycle was assayed for E(2) and P by RIA. The main outcome measured was the d evelopment of a clinical pregnancy in a subsequent frozen ET cycle. Re sults: Using a previously described breakpoint in serum P concentratio n of 0.9 ng/mL (2.86 nmol/L), 8 of 69 (11.6%) frozen ETs in which embr yos from low P level IVF cycles were transferred and 7 of 27 (25.9%) f rozen ETs of embryos from elevated P level IVF cycles were transferred resulted in the development of clinical pregnancies. Although this do es not clearly demonstrate superiority of embryos obtained from elevat ed P cycles, employing a power calculation, the probability that the p regnancy rate in the elevated serum P group is at least equal to the o bserved rate in the low P group is 92.8%.