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Growth hormone for in vitro fertilization
James Mn Duffy1, Gaity Ahmad, Lamiya Mohiyiddeen
1Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, Westiminster Bridge Road, London, UK, SE1 7EH.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|January 22, 2010
Summary
Adjuvant growth hormone improved live birth and pregnancy rates in in-vitro fertilisation for poor responders. Further research is needed to identify specific subgroups who benefit most from this treatment.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- In-Vitro Fertilisation
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) outcomes are crucial for subfertile women, particularly 'poor responders'.
- Growth hormone (GH) has been explored as an adjuvant therapy to enhance IVF success rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant growth hormone in IVF protocols.
- To determine if GH improves outcomes for women undergoing IVF.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
- Searched multiple databases including Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Biological Abstracts up to June 2009.
- Included 10 studies with 440 subfertile couples; data extraction and risk of bias assessment performed independently.
Main Results:
- Routine adjuvant GH in IVF showed no significant difference in general outcome measures or adverse events.
- Meta-analysis revealed statistically significant improvements in live birth rates (OR 5.39) and pregnancy rates (OR 3.28) favouring adjuvant GH in poor responders.
- No increase in adverse events was observed with adjuvant GH use in this subgroup.
Conclusions:
- Adjuvant growth hormone demonstrated a significant improvement in live birth rates for poor responders undergoing IVF.
- The specific subgroup of poor responders who would benefit most from adjuvant GH remains unidentified.
- Results should be interpreted with caution due to the small number and size of included trials, necessitating further research.
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