Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong, SAR, China
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Abstract |
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Key words: gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogue/IVF/pituitary-ovarian axis
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Introduction |
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A previous observational study of full or half dose long-acting GnRH analogue treatment in women with normal ovarian function found that pituitary suppression was similar with each dose (Balasch et al., 1992). Both doses resulted in satisfactory suppression within 14 days of injection. However, different doses have not been tested in the IVF setting in a randomized controlled manner.
The aim of this study was to determine whether low dose long-acting GnRH analogue administration was effective in achieving pituitary suppression prior to IVF without causing the adverse effects of severe suppression associated with standard dose treatment.
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Materials and methods |
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Exclusion criteria included patients with baseline LH concentrations >12 IU/l, oestradiol >300 pmol/l and couples in which there was male factor infertility (count <20x106/ml, motility <40%, morphology >50% abnormal forms).
Patients were allocated randomly by the use of block randomization into two groups. Group 1 received triptorelin 3.75 mg i.m. while group 2 subjects received triptorelin 1.87 mg i.m., each on day 2 of menses. LH and oestradiol concentrations were performed on the day of triptorelin injection and again 14 and 21 days after injection. All subjects had achieved satisfactory suppression (LH <5 IU/l, oestradiol <200 pmol/l, no cystic structures >10 mm diameter on ovarian ultrasound) by this time. Ovarian stimulation began in the usual manner 2 or 3 weeks after GnRH analogue administration. Human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) 225 IU daily was then given daily for women aged 33 years and HMG 300 IU daily for those aged
36 years or with a previous poor ovarian response. The monitoring of the response to ovarian stimulation during the IVF cycles was the same as in standard IVF treatment cycles. A dose of 10 000 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) was given when there were at least three follicles
15 mm in diameter. Oocyte retrieval was performed 3438 h after HCG administration. Embryo transfer was performed 48 h later. Luteal phase support was given in the form of HCG 2000 IU every third day for four doses.
After oocyte retrieval, the number of oocytes obtained, the quality of the oocytes, the number of fertilized oocytes and the number of embryos available for transfer were recorded. The `after-effects' of the drug were assessed by recording the date of return of the menstrual period following the withdrawal bleed after embryo transfer in cases where no pregnancy resulted. The concentration of LH 4 weeks after withdrawal bleeding was measured.
Statistical analysis was performed using Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 8.0 for Windows. The independent samples t-test was used to examine the difference in the measurements of oestradiol/LH concentrations, the doses of gonadotrophins used, the number of oocytes retrieved and fertilized, the number of embryos transferred and the number of days required to return to normal pituitaryovarian function.
The calculation of the sample size was based on a previous study (Fleming et al., 1998) on the effects of suppression of LH using a conventional dose of a GnRH analogue before the start of IVF cycles. They found a mean difference in LH concentration of 1.4 IU/l and a SD of 0.9 IU/l in their patients after 2 weeks of treatment.
Therefore eight patients in each arm would be the least number necessary to obtain 80% power with a type I error = 0.05. To increase the power and reduce the error, 30 cases were recruited in each arm.
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Results |
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The mean age of the patients of group 1 was 33.1 ± 2.9 years and in group 2 was 33.8 ± 3.2 years. The mean number of years of infertility in group 1 was 4.2 ± 2.6 years and in group 2 was 5.2 ± 2.7 years. The mean baseline LH in group 1 was 4.4 ± 2.5 IU/l and in group 2 was 4.2 ± 1.8 IU/l. Mean concentrations of LH 2 and 3 weeks after GnRH analogue administration were 2.2 ± 1.0 and 1.1 ± 0.6 IU/l in the conventional dose group and 3.5 ± 5.5 and 2.7 ± 1.9 IU/l in the low dose group (P < 0.05 for each comparison). Five in the standard dose group and four in the low dose group required 3 weeks for adequate suppression. However, the mean number of ampoules of gonadotrophins required for ovarian stimulation was similar (42.7 ± 9.7 in group 1 and 42.1 ± 8.5 in group 2). There were also no significant differences in the number of oocytes retrieved (9.3 ± 5.2 in group 1 versus 9.5 ± 8.5 in group 2, P = 0.05) nor in the number of embryos available for transfer (3.9 ± 2.9 in group 1 versus 3.9 ± 4.1 in group 2).
There was no difference between pregnancy rates (31.0% in group 1 versus 21.7% in group 2). For those patients who failed to conceive, LH was measured 4 weeks after withdrawal bleeding. The concentration of LH was not significantly different between groups (1.6 ± 1.5 IU/l in group 1 versus 2.3 ± 2.7 IU/l in group 2). For those patients who were not pregnant, the mean time to resumption of menses after withdrawal bleeding was 46.9 ± 15.0 days in group 1 and 44.2 ± 13.2 days in group 2; however, only 15 in each group could be contacted afterwards (Table I).
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Discussion |
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The effect of a lower dose of a depot GnRH analogue was studied as it was suspected that this would provide adequate suppression without causing the problems of oversuppression associated with the standard dose. Significantly more pronounced suppression was found, as measured by LH concentrations on days 14 and days 21 after injection of a standard dose of the long-acting GnRH analogue than with the low dose (P < 0.05). Adequate suppression was identified when the LH concentration was less than 5 IU/l. Balasch et al. (1992), showed comparable pituitaryovarian suppression with standard and a half dose of a long-acting GnRH analogue in women with normal ovarian function. In the current study, the mean LH on day 14 of the standard and low dose cycles were 3.5 and 2.2 IU/l respectively. Adequate suppression was achieved in each group although the difference was statistically significant. The number of cases requiring 21 days to achieve an adequate LH concentration was similar. There were four cases in the group receiving low dose and five in the group receiving standard dose. Therefore, both dosages are adequate for pituitaryovarian suppression.
There were two cases in each group in which over-suppression (defined as LH concentration <1 IU/l) was present. When this occurred, the total dose of gonadotrophin used was significantly higher (a mean of 52 versus 42 ampoules of HMG used). Of the cases with over-suppression, one from each group developed ovarian stimulation syndrome and one from the low dose group had a poor response to gonadotrophin stimulation.
Interestingly, it had previously been observed that patients who had used the long-acting preparation and had not then become pregnant often complained about the delay in resumption of their normal menstrual cycle. Oestradiol and LH concentrations were measured 4 weeks after bleeding resulting from failed IVF treatment and no statistically significant difference between groups was found. It was also observed that the time taken for spontaneous resumption of menstrual bleeding (not the withdrawal bleeding after the failed IVF treatment) was around 6 weeks in each group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.
Concerning the outcome measures for IVF, the number of oocytes retrieved and fertilized and the number of embryos that were suitable for transfer was similar. The pregnancy rates and also the abortion rates were similar. There was no apparent adverse effect on implantation from this study.
It is therefore concluded that both doses of the long-acting GnRH analogue were adequate for IVF purposes, and that the degree of over-suppression was acceptable. The use of a lower dose may be just as effective and may contribute to a reduction in the cost of treatment.
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Acknowledgments |
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Notes |
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References |
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Submitted on July 28, 2000; accepted on November 30, 2000.