Embryo placement in IVF and reproductive outcomes: a cohort analysis and review.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of the embryo placement depth on the endometrial cavity in relation to the reproductive outcomes, after frozen-thawed embryo transfer performed under transabdominal ultrasound guidance. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study that evaluated the influence of the embryo placement depth in the endometrial cavity in relation to the reproductive outcomes of patients submitted to cryotransfer cycles at a private assisted reproduction clinic, from 2012 to 2017. The patients were classified according to three variables: <10mm, 10 to 15mm and >15mm. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy, and the secondary outcomes were miscarriage, ongoing pregnancy and live birth. The data was summarized as relative risk, with a 95%CI. RESULTS: Clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were higher in the 10-15mm and >15mm Groups, when compared to the <10mm Group; there was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of miscarriage and live birth rates. We performed a subsequent analysis, using the same sample of patients, comparing only the <10mm and ≥10mm variables. The ≥10mm Group had better reproductive outcomes, with higher clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy rates are influenced by embryo transfer site, and better results can be achieved when the tip of the catheter is placed in the central area of the endometrial cavity, especially when the distance from the endometrial fundus is >10mm.

Oral dydrogesterone vs. vaginal progesterone capsules for luteal-phase support in women undergoing embryo transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify, appraise, and summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral dydrogesterone to vaginal progesterone capsules for luteal-phase support (LPS) in women offered fresh or frozen embryo transfers following in vitro fertilization. METHODS: Two independent authors screened the literature for papers based on titles and abstracts, then selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. Dydrogesterone and progesterone were compared based on risk ratios (RR) and the precision of the estimates was assessed through the 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: An electronic search performed on June 7, 2017 retrieved 376 records, nine of which were papers deemed eligible and included in this systematic review and quantitative analysis. Good quality evidence indicates that oral dydrogesterone provided at least similar results than vaginal progesterone capsules on live birth/ongoing pregnancy (RR=1.08, 95%CI=0.92-1.26, I2=29%, 8 RCTs, 3,386 women) and clinical pregnancy rates (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.27; I2=43%; 9 RCTs; 4,061 women). Additionally, moderate quality evidence suggests there is no relevant difference on miscarriage rates (RR=0.92, 95%CI=0.68-1.26, I2=6%, 8 RCTs, 988 clinical pregnancies; the quality of the evidence was downgraded because of imprecision). CONCLUSIONS: Good quality evidence from RCTs suggest that oral dydrogesterone provides at least similar reproductive outcomes than vaginal progesterone capsules when used for LPS in women undergoing embryo transfers. Dydrogesterone is a reasonable option and the choice of either of the medications should be based on cost and side effects.

Corifollitropin alfa compared to daily rFSH or HP-HMG in GnRH antagonist controlled ovarian stimulation protocol for patients undergoing assisted reproduction.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) with corifollitropin alfa versus daily recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (rRFSH) or highly purified human menopausal gonadotropin (HP-HMG) in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles based on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocols. The primary endpoints were total number of oocytes and mature oocytes. METHODS: This retrospective study looked into 132 controlled ovarian stimulation cycles from IVF or oocyte cryopreservation performed in a private human reproduction center between January 1 and December 31, 2014. Enrollment criteria: women aged < 40 years submitted to COS with corifollitropin alfa 100µg or 150µg (n = 26) and rFSH or HP-HMG in the first seven days of treatment with daily doses of 150-225 IU (n = 106); all subjects were on GnRH antagonist protocols. RESULTS: The groups had similar mean ages and duration of stimulation. The mean number ± standard deviation of total aspirated oocytes and MII oocytes was 11.9±10 and 10.3±7.9 in the corifollitropin alfa group, and 10.9±7.2 and 8.6±5.7 in the group on rFSH or HMG (p>0.05). There were no significant differences in fertilization (76.9% vs. 76.8%, p=1.0), biochemical pregnancy (66.7% vs. 47.2%, p=0.1561) or embryo implantation rates (68.7% vs. 50%, p=0.2588) between the groups using corifollitropin alfa and rFSH or HMG, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Corifollitropin alfa seems to be as effective as rFSH or HP-HMG when used in the first seven days of ovulation induction for patients undergoing assisted reproduction in GnRH antagonist protocols.

Hormônio antimülleriano para avaliação da reserva ovariana: estado de arte / Anti-Müllerian hormone for ovarian reserve evaluation: state of art

A aferição do hormônio antimülleriano na clínica reprodutiva tem sido realizada com o objetivo de propiciar predição mais fidedigna da reserva folicular ovariana, por ser marcador indireto da quantidade e da qualidade de folículos primordiais. A correlação significativa com a contagem de folículos antrais, a quantidade e a maturidade de oócitos obtidos em técnicas de reprodução assistida têm ficado repetidamente evidentes na literatura, motivo pelo qual, acreditam os autores em um futuro cada vez mais promissor, que o hormônio venha a atuar como marcador propedêutico na avaliação e no prognóstico da paciente infértil. Neste artigo, pretende-se discutir informações atuais sobre o papel desse marcador para avaliação da reserva ovariana em candidatas a técnicas de reprodução assistida.

Measurement of anti-Müllerian hormone has been done in the practice of reproductive medicine for a more accurate prediction of ovarian follicular reserve, being an indirect marker of the quantity and quality of primordial follicles. A significant correlation with antral follicle count, the amount and maturity of oocytes in assisted reproductive techniques have been repeatedly evident in the literature, which is why we believe in the increasingly promising future of this hormone as a marker for the early assessment and prognosis of the infertile patient. In this article, we discuss current information on the role of the marker in the assessment of ovarian reserve in candidates for assisted reproduction techniques.

Ovarian reserve assessment for infertility investigation.

The current trends to postpone motherhood and the increase in demand for assistance in reproductive medicine highlight the need for seeking guidelines for the establishment of individualized treatment protocols. Currently available ovarian reserve tests do not provide sufficient evidence to be solely considered ideal, but they may occupy important place in initial counseling, predicting unsatisfactory results that could be improved by individualized induction schemes and reducing excessive psychological and financial burdens, and adverse effects. In this paper, we revise the role of hormonal basal and dynamic tests, as well as ultrasonographic markers, as ovarian reserve markers, in order to provide embasement for propaedeutic strategies and their interpretation in order to have reproductive success.

Avaliação genética pré-implantacional: visão geral / Preimplantation genetic testing: an overview

Identificar um embrião com alto potencial de implantação é um dos maiores desafios da medicina reprodutiva e um passo fundamental em direção à transferência de um único embrião. O diagnóstico genético pré-implantacional permite identificar alterações genéticas ou cromossômicas nos embriões em divisão antes de serem transferidos, enquanto o rastreamento genético pré-implantacional realiza a triagem em embriões quanto às anomalias cromossômicas frequentes. Dentre as limitações encontradas, o mosaicismo é responsável por grande parcela de erros de diagnóstico, e os altos custos das técnicas de hibridização in situ por fluorescência e reação em cadeia da polimerase ainda dificultam a implantação do diagnóstico genético pré-implantacional e do rastreamento genético pré-implantacional de forma rotineira. Este artigo pretende apresentar uma visão geral acerca das modalidades de avaliação genética préimplantacional disponíveis e seus resultados e avaliar criticamente a inserção dessas tecnologias entre os recursospropedêuticos para assistência reprodutiva.

The identification of an embryo with high implantation potential is one of the greatest challenges in reproductive medicine and a vital step towards transferring a single pre-embryo. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis allows the identification of genetic or chromosomal alterations in pre-embryos before they are transferred to the uterus, while preimplantation geneticscreening determines alleatory frequent chromosomal abnormalities. Among limitations, mosaicism is responsible for a large proportion of misdiagnosis, and the high costs of fluorescent in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction still hinder the implementation of preimplantation genetic diagnosis and preimplantation genetic screening as a routine. Thisarticle aims to present an overview of possible modalities of preimplantation genetic evaluation and their results and to criticallyevaluate the insertion of those technologies in the propaedeutical tools in reproductive assistance.