Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Fertility Preservation Through Oocyte Vitrification: Clinical and Laboratory Perspectives
Published on: September 16, 2021
Ovarian response to stimulation of HIV-positive patients during IVF treatment: a matched, controlled study
Valérie Martinet1, Yannick Manigart, Serge Rozenberg
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Division of Infectious Diseases, CHU Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Buxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
Background:
Our aim was to compare the ovarian response of HIV-positive and -negative patients during IVF.
Methods:
Setting - HIV and IVF reference university hospital. Twenty-seven HIV-infected patients who had undergone IVF between March 2000 and March 2005 were matched with 77 HIV-negative patients for age, aetiology of infertility, whether it was primary or secondary infertility, duration of infertility, history of pelvic surgery and type of pituitary inhibition. Outcome - poor responders were defined using one of the following criteria: a cancelled cycle (for insufficient ovarian response), less than four mature follicles (> or = 16 mm), peak serum levels of E2 lower than 1000 pg/ml.
Results:
There were no differences between the two groups of patients for the matched criteria. The proportion of African women and of women with a history of pelvic inflammatory disease was significantly higher among HIV patients than among the control group. With the exception of a lower number of transferred embryos among HIV-positive patients versus HIV-negative ones (1.3 versus 1.9; P = 0.035), there was no significant difference between the two groups of patients regarding ovarian response parameters.
Conclusion:
HIV-infected patients who are in good general condition and who are matched to a control group present a similar ovarian response to stimulation, suggesting the existence of a similar ovarian reserve.
