Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Collection of Human Follicular Fluid, Follicle Somatic Cells, and Immature Oocytes from Individuals Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization
Published on: October 24, 2025
Differential immunologic response to GnRHa alone vs. dual trigger for final follicular maturation: a proof-of-concept
Raoul Orvieto1,2, Helly Vernitsky3, Marina Safanaiev3
1Infertility and IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Objective:
To explore the impact of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) vs. dual trigger (GnRHa plus hCG) for final follicular maturation on peripheral immune profiles in women undergoing oocyte cryopreservation.
Design:
Prospective proof-of-concept hypothesis-generating pilot study.
Setting:
University-affiliated single center.
Patients:
Five healthy women undergoing fertility preservation (n = 3 GnRHa trigger, n = 2 dual trigger).
Interventions:
Ovarian stimulation with either GnRHa alone or dual trigger (GnRHa + hCG). Immune profiling was performed at two time points: (1) before trigger, and (2) on the day of oocyte retrieval.
Main Outcome Measures:
Percent change (%Δ) in peripheral immune blood T, B, and NK cell populations using flow cytometry.
Results:
Baseline characteristics were similar. Compared with GnRHa alone, dual trigger was associated with a trend toward lower CD4/CD8 (helper/cytotoxic) T cell ratio, and an apparent increase in highly differentiated cytotoxic (CD57+) cell populations. However, given the small sample size, findings should not be interpreted as definitive but as exploratory trends. There were no cases of OHSS.
Conclusions:
In this small, exploratory hypothesis-generating study, the addition of hCG to GnRHa trigger was associated with a shift toward a more cytotoxic lymphocyte profile post trigger. Findings require validation in larger, randomized cohorts to better understand their implications for reproductive outcomes and OHSS risk.
