ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical outcomes of GnRH antagonist (cetrorelix(R)) with those of conventional GnRH agonist for down-regulation in assisted reproductive cycle. Materials and Method: Ninety-nine women undergoing IVF or ICSI were treated with either GnRH antagonist (cetrorelix(R)) or GnRH agonist (Lucrin(R)) for pituitary down regulation. The patient characteristics, basal hormone profile and IVF outcome were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age and duration of infertility between two groups. E2 (pg/mL)/LH (mIU/mL)/FSH (mIU/ mL) on the 3 day of menstrual period as a baseline were also not significantly different between two groups. The number of hMG amples administered (30.5+/-11.2 versus 47.6+/-16.4 ample/cycle) and the duration of stimulation (11.0+/-1.7 versus 14.1+/-2.2 days) were significantly lower in the cetrorelix(R) group. There were no significant differences in the fertilization and pregnancy rates, the number of embryo transferred, the number of mature oocyte and the number of embryo obtained between two groups. CONCLUSION: The cycles using an antagonist protocol shows a shorter duration of stimulation with comparable outcomes with few injections than those with an agonist protocol. GnRH antagonist can be effectively used as GnRH agonist for pituitary down regulation in IVF-ET cycles.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Down-Regulation , Embryonic Structures , Fertilization , Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone , Infertility , Oocytes , Pregnancy Rate , Sperm Injections, IntracytoplasmicABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study were to compare the effects of EG and PROH on cryopreservation of mouse and human embryos, and to find the optimal protocol for embryo freezing. METHODS: Human embryos derived from fertilized eggs showing 3 pronuclei (PN) and mouse embryos were divided into two groups respectively: dehydrated with 1.5 M EG+0.2 M sucrose or 1.5 M PROH+0.2 M sucrose using the slow freezing method. Moreover mouse embryos were controlled the exposure time of cryoprotectant during dehydration or rehydration steps. RESULTS: The survival rates of human embryos were 79.2% (84/106) in EG group and 77.9% (88/113) in PROH group. In mouse embryos, the survival and development rates up to blastocyst were 70.6% (245/347), 44.1% (123/279) in EG group and 62.1% (198/319), 45.1% (123/279) in PROH group, respectively. However, in EG group, partially damaged embryos after thawing were decreased compared to PROH group. In combination group, when the exposure time during dehydration and rehydration were reduced, the survival and embryonic developments were increased slightly, but not significant. CONCLUSION: Cryopreservation of mouse and human embryos at cleavage stage by using EG or PROH exhibited no statistical difference in the survival rate and/or developmental rate to blastocyst. However, the use of EG for cryopreservation of embryos might reduce the exposure time of the cryoprotectant because of a high permeation of EG and result in lessen its toxic effects.