Live birth rates in various subgroups of poor ovarian responders fulfilling the Bologna criteria.

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology published Bologna criteria to generate a definition of poor ovarian responders (PORs). However, there are few data on whether PORs are homogenous for ovarian response or live birth rates (LBRs). In this retrospective study, 821 patients fulfilling Bologna criteria and undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection were stratified into four groups: Group A: female age ≥40 with a previous poor response (cycle cancelled or ≤3 oocytes) (105 patients, 123 cycles); Group B: female age ≥40 with an antral follicle count (AFC) < 7 (159 patients, 253 cycles); Group C: AFC <7 with a previous poor response (350 patients, 575 cycles); and Group D: female age ≥40 with an AFC <7 and previous poor response (207 patients, 306 cycles). Cluster data analysis was performed. Although median number of oocytes was higher in Group B (P < 0.001), higher implantation (P = 0.024) and LBR per embryo transfer (P < 0.001) or cycle (P = 0.001) were noted in Group C. We conclude that, once a patient fulfils Bologna criteria, prognosis is poor, with fewer than 10% recorded LBRs per cycle. However, the LBRs are not homogenous and 'young proven' PORs have the most favourable pregnancy outcome.

Time-lapse morphokinetic assessment has low to moderate ability to predict euploidy when patient- and ovarian stimulation-related factors are taken into account with the use of clustered data analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether time-lapse morphokinetic (TLM) assessment predicts ploidy status when patient- and ovarian stimulation-related factors are taken into account. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Private IVF clinic. PATIENT(S): In total, 103 consecutive patients (415 blastocysts) were included. All embryos were individually cultured in a time-lapse incubator from intracytoplasmic sperm injection up to trophectoderm biopsy. Following trophectoderm biopsy on day 5 or 6, blastocysts were vitrified and 23 TLM parameters were analyzed. INTERVENTION(S): Correlations between patient- and ovarian stimulation-related factors and TLM parameters were tested in a multilevel mixed-effects linear regression model and assessed by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Predictive ability of TLM parameters for euploidy. RESULT(S): The majority of TLM parameters had ICCs of 16%-47%. None of the patient- or ovarian stimulation-related factor had any systematic effect on any TLM parameter; however, body mass, total FSH dose, duration of infertility, number of previous cycles, antral follicle count, ovarian stimulation protocol, and E2 on the trigger day had a significant impact on some TLM parameters. With the use of multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis, of the ten TLM parameters that were initially noted to be significantly different among euploid and aneuploid blastocysts in the univariate analysis, only five remained significant. However, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves at regression analysis were low, ranging from 0.55 to 0.63. CONCLUSION(S): Five TLM parameters, all related to timing of blastocyst development, have limited ability to predict euploidy when patient- and ovarian stimulation-related factors are taken into account.

Preparation of endometrium for frozen embryo replacement cycles: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the best protocol to prepare endometrium for frozen embryo replacement (FER) cycles. METHODS: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Following PubMed and OvidSP search, a total of 1166 studies published after 1990 were identified following removal of duplicates. Following exclusion of studies not matching our inclusion criteria, a total of 33 studies were analyzed. Primary outcome measure was live birth. The following protocols, including true natural cycle (tNC), modified natural cycle (mNC), artificial cycle (AC) with or without suppression, and mild ovarian stimulation (OS) with gonadotropin (Gn) or aromatase inhibitor (AI), were compared. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference for both clinical pregnancy and live birth was noted between tNC and mNC groups. When tNC and AC without suppression groups are compared, there was a statistically significant difference in clinical pregnancy rate in favor of tNC, whereas it failed to reach statistical significance for live birth. When tNC and AC with suppression groups are compared, there was a statistically significant difference in live birth rate favoring the latter. Similar pregnancy outcome was noted among mNC versus AC with or without suppression groups. Similarly, no difference in clinical pregnancy and live birth was noted when ACs with or without suppression groups are compared. CONCLUSIONS: There is no consistent superiority of any endometrial preparation for FER. However, mNC has several advantages (being patient-friendly; yielding at least equivalent or better pregnancy rates when compared with tNC and AC with or without suppression; may not require LPS). Mild OS with Gn or AI may be promising.

Spontaneous clinical pregnancy following GNRH agonist trigger for final oocyte maturation and freeze-all approach: a case report.

We herein describe a 34-year old infertile woman with polycystic ovary syndrome who was underwent follicle stimulation with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist, and a freeze-all approach, but still conceived spontaneously without any luteal phase support and without development of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. The bilateral antral follicle count of the patient was 22. A fixed GnRH antagonist protocol was used. As the number of follicles wider than 11 mm in diameter on the day of stimulation was 28, the final oocyte maturation was triggered by a GnRH agonist and a freeze-all approach was taken. Although no luteal phase support was used after trigger, the patient conceived spontaneously. In conclusion, the endogenous LH level during the luteal phase may be sufficiently high in selected cases to rescue some of the corpora lutea even when a GnRH agonist has been administered for final oocyte maturation. When a freeze-all approach is taken to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, couples should be strictly advised to refrain from sexual intercourse after oocyte retrieval.

In vitro fertilization for endometriosis-associated infertility.

Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease affecting 10-15% of reproductive aged women and is encountered in 25-35% of women suffering from infertility. IVF is an effective tool to overcome endometriosis-associated infertility when expectant management or surgery fails. Direct IVF should be envisioned if the female age is greater than 38 year and infertility is long lasting. Likewise, semen characteristics or tubal status that is incompatible with natural conception mandates going straight to IVF. IVF, not only bypasses the distortion of pelvic anatomy associated with advanced stage endometriosis, but also removes gametes from a hostile peritoneal environment. In this article, we address the impact, if any, of endometriosis and endometriomason IVF outcome, whether surgical treatment of early-stage disease, endometriomas or deep infiltrating endometriosis would enhance pregnancy rates in IVF, which protocol to employ for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF and finally the impact, if any, of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF on progression of endometriosis.

Bilateral ectopic pregnancy following ICSI.

Bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancy is a rare clinical condition with an estimated prevalence of 1/200,000 spontaneous pregnancies. There is paucity of data on the prevalence of this rare condition following intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) cycles. We report two patients with bilateral tubal ectopic pregnancy following ICSI-ET. Both patients had normal, reassuring ß-human chorionic gonadotropin dynamics during follow-up; the diagnosis was performed when no gestational sac was noted at the first planned antenatal visit. Of the two patients, one was treated medically and the other surgically with laparoscopic salpingotomy and salpingectomy for the right and left sides, respectively. Both patients thereafter conceived and delivered healthy infants following subsequent ICSI-ET attempts.

Endometriosis is not associated with inferior pregnancy rates in in vitro fertilization: an analysis of 616 patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To analyze whether the presence of endometriosis per se is associated with inferior pregnancy rates in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: Between July 2005 and November 2012, a total of 485 patients with endometriosis under the age of 38 years undergoing their first IVF attempt at our center were included; 72 patients had minimal-mild disease and the remaining 413 patients had moderate-severe disease. 131 patients with laparoscopically confirmed tubal factor infertility not harboring endometriosis and hydrosalpinx under the age of 38 years undergoing their first IVF attempt at our center served as the control group. RESULTS: The bilateral antral follicle count and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation response were diminished in the moderate-severe group. However, the implantation, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and live birth rates were comparable among the three groups. The recurrence of endometrioma following pre-IVF cystectomy was not associated with inferior pregnancy rates. Female age, bilateral antral follicle count and number of embryos transferred were noted to be significant independent predictors of live birth. CONCLUSION: We conclude that neither the presence nor the extent of endometriosis have any detrimental effect on IVF pregnancy rates.

Transient intrauterine fluid accumulation not due to hydrosalpinx or any identifiable pelvic pathology is not detrimental to IVF outcome.

PURPOSE: This study is to assess whether transient intrauterine fluid accumulation (IUFA) first noted during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation that does not persist on the day of embryo transfer not due to any identifiable pelvic pathology has any detrimental effect on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome. METHODS: From a database of 16,900 cycles, 144 patients with transient "physiological" IUFA were recruited. Four hundred fifty-one consecutive patients who had male factor infertility served as the control group. The amount of IUFA classified as largest dimension in the antero-posterior (AP) plane; ≤2, 3-5 or >5 mm. RESULTS: The mean female age, the mean number of embryos transferred and endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration were comparable among the study and control groups. Similarly, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and implantation rates were comparable among the study and control groups. Female age was noted to be the only significant independent predictor of ongoing pregnancy. The AP dimension of IUFA did not have any impact on pregnancy and implantation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Transient IUFA not due to hydrosalpinx or any identifiable pelvic pathology has no detrimental effect on IVF pregnancy rates. Hence, cycle cancellation should be avoided in such cycles.