Low oocyte yield during IVF treatment and the risk of a trisomic pregnancy

Ongoing pregnancy and healthy live births following very short ovarian stimulation of incidentally observed big antral follicles in oligoamenorrheic patients with extremely decreased ovarian reserve

In the present case series our aim is to present seven patients with extremely decreased ovarian reserve and oligomenorrhea, conceived with in vitro fertilization following a very short ovarian stimulation of incidentally detected big antral follicles. The study included women pursuing in vitro fertilization due to premature ovarian failure risk. When an incidental growing antral follicle was detected under ultrasound, immediate ovarian stimulation was initiated if the blood estradiol, luteinizing hormone and progesterone levels were correlated. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone measurements of all patients were consistent with extremely diminished ovarian reserve (ranged between 0.01 and 0.09ng/ml) and FSH levels varied between 13-104IU/l. The mean stimulation length ranged between 2-4 days. A total of 8 oocytes were retrieved; 6 MII, 1 GV and 1 degenerated. All 6 MII oocytes were fertilized with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Two patients conceived after fresh embryo transfer, whereas the one conceived following frozen thawed embryo transfer. The ongoing pregnancy rate was 50% per transfer, and two of them resulted in a healthy live birth. In conclusion, close monitoring of oligoamenorrheic infertile patients who are at high risk of imminent ovarian failure using ultrasound and blood hormone levels is very important. Albeit low, the possibility of having a healthy pregnancy following “a very short ovarian stimulation” in such a specific patient group is emphasized.

The Danish National Register of assisted reproductive technology: content and research potentials

The Danish National Register of assisted reproductive technology (ART) was initially established in 1994. The register comprises complete information on all ART procedures in public and private clinics in Denmark from 2013 and onwards, including baseline information on the cause of infertility and a number of health-related patient characteristics. The register enables monitoring and research on infertility treatment and reproductive topics in single women or couples seeking assisted reproduction, and the register is thus a key component of the Danish health information system within human reproduction. We aimed to provide an updated description of the register including advantages and pitfalls when using the register for reproductive epidemiological research, and a description of the accessibility for researchers. The Danish ART register is a valuable tool for epidemiological research. However, the inherent strengths and limitations ought to be in perspective when designing studies and interpreting the study results. Reports with annually aggregated data on ART treatments, can be accessed on the Danish Health Data Authority web page and researchers may obtain access to individual pseudonomized data via secure servers at the Danish Health Data Authority and Statistics Denmark.