Cetrorelix protocol versus gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog suppression long protocol for superovulation in intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients older than 40
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Published on: September 16, 2021
Marco Sbracia1, Julio Colabianchi, Annalise Giallonardo
1Center of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Rome, Italy. marcandrea@hotmail.com
Objective:
To determine which protocols work better between cetrorelix and long protocols in older patients in a randomized controlled study.
Design:
A controlled randomized study in a single private IVF center.
Setting:
Infertile women referred to a private IVF center.
Patient(S):
Five hundred sixty-four women 40 years or older undergoing IVF.
Intervention(S):
At their first IVF cycle, the women were randomized into two study groups using a computer-generated number sequence: 281 cases were treated with the cetrorelix protocol, and 283 patients were treated with a long protocol for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Days of stimulation, E(2) on the day of hCG administration, amount of FSH administered, number of oocytes yielded, number of embryos obtained, pregnancy rate, and implantation rate.
Result(S):
Patients treated with the long protocol showed a significantly higher number of oocytes retrieved and a higher pregnancy rate for both the cycle and transfer with respect to the cetrorelix protocol patients. The other parameter evaluated did not show any statistically significant differences.
Conclusion(S):
Our study showed that the long protocol performed better in older women than the cetrorelix protocol and that the GnRH antagonist may be detrimental in older women.
