Journal Article

Is early-follicular long-acting GnRH agonist protocol an alternative for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing in vitro fertilization?

Wang, Di, Chu, Ting, Zhai, Jun, Yu, Ting

2022

Overview

Background We aimed to compare the clinical and perinatal outcomes of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment with either an early-follicular long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol (EFLL) or a midluteal short-acting GnRH-a long protocol (MLSL). Methods This single–center, retrospective study, included patients with PCOS who underwent IVF/ICSI from January 2013 to June 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China. Patients underwent either MLSL (1179 cycles) or EFLL (2390 cycles). The primary outcomes were pregnancy outcomes, perinatal and maternal complications. Results Fresh embryo transfer (59.12% vs. 55.47%, P  = 0.038), clinical pregnancy (75.23% vs. 53.82%, P  = 0.001), and live birth rates (63.27% vs. 42.05%, P  = 0.010) were higher in the EFLL group. However, the proportion of patients “freezing all\" for high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) (24.27% vs. 32.06%, P  = 0.001) and ectopic pregnancy (1.51% vs. 5.97%, P  = 0.002) were lower in the EFLL group than in the MLSL group. The incidence of gestational diabetes was higher in the EFLL group than in the MLSL group (5.08% vs. 1.42%, RR 3.714, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.474–9.360, P  = 0.003). There were no significant differences in the incidence of hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, congenital heart disease, or neonatal weight between the two groups. Logistic regression results showed that age (OR 0.966, 95% CI 0.941–0.993, P  = 0.013), treatments (OR 2.380, 95% CI 1.833–3.089, P  = 0.001), and endometrial thickness on trigger day (OR 1.115, 95% CI 1.070–1.162, P  = 0.001) were correlated with clinical pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy BMI (OR 1.098, 95% CI 1.002–1.204, P  = 0.046), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (OR 3.096, 95% CI 1.900–5.046, P  = 0.001), and treatments (OR 3.458, 95% CI 1.359–8.800, P  = 0.009) were correlated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Treatments (OR 0.291, 95% CI 0.148–0.575, P  = 0.001) and endometrial thickness on trigger day (OR 0.834, 95% CI 0.722–0.962, P  = 0.013) were correlated with ectopic pregnancy. Conclusion The early-follicular long-acting GnRH agonist long protocol can be used as an ideal assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancy assistance program for patients with PCOS, but obese patients should be encouraged to lose weight before ART treatments to reduce the risk of GDM.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,BMC
• Subject: Agonists / Analysis / Birth rate / Body mass index / Care and treatment / Complications and side effects / Coronary artery disease / Diabetes mellitus / Diagnosis / Drug dosages / Early-follicular long-acting GnRH agonist long protocol / Ectopic pregnancy / Embryo transfer / Embryos / Endocrinology / Endometrium / Fertilization in vitro / Freezing / Gestational diabetes / Gonadotropin / Gonadotropin-releasing hormone / Gonadotropins / Heart diseases / Hospitals / In vitro fertilization / Infertility / Insulin resistance / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Menstruation / Metabolism / Midluteal short-acting GnRH agonist long protocol / Miscarriage / Multiple births / Neonates / Oral administration / Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome / Ovaries / Ovulation / Patient outcomes / Patients / Perinatal complications / Pituitary (anterior) / Polycystic ovary syndrome / Pregnancy complications / Pregnancy, Complications of / Premature birth / Reproductive Medicine / Reproductive technologies / Stein-Leventhal syndrome / Ultrasonic imaging / Vagina