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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Fertility Preservation Through Oocyte Vitrification: Clinical and Laboratory Perspectives
Published on: September 16, 2021
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome following GnRH agonist trigger-think ectopic
Raoul Orvieto1,2, Valeria Stella Vanni3,4
1Infertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center (Tel Hashomer), Ramat Gan, Israel. raoul.orvieto@sheba.health.gov.il.
Purpose:
This study aims to report a case of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) following GnRH agonist trigger for final follicular maturation.
Methods:
This study is a retrospective chart review.
Results:
We report the first case of OHSS following GnRH agonist trigger for final follicular maturation and freeze-all, masking extrauterine pregnancy (EUP). The present case report elucidates the feasibility of stimulating and recruiting ovarian follicles yielding mature oocytes during early pregnancy and the ability of GnRH agonist to trigger final follicular maturation during pregnancy, in the presence of high progesterone and hCG levels.
Conclusions:
Since OHSS almost always develops after hCG administration or in early pregnancy, its occurrence following GnRH agonist trigger should alert physician to search for either an inadvertent administration of exogenous hCG, or the endogenous secretion of hCG by pregnancy, e.g. EUP, or as part of a paraneoplastic syndrome.
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