Intramuscular injection of human chorionic gonadotropin prior to secretory transformation in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles

Frozen-thawed embryo transfer: does the addition of low-dose choriogonadotropin alfa to progesterone in the luteal phase of artificial cycles improve the endometrium and increase the chances of pregnancy?

OBJECTIVE

Primary: To evaluate the effect of low doses of recombinant hCG (choriogonadotropin alfa) in the luteal phase of frozen-thawed embryo transfers (FET) of artificial cycles on the chances of pregnancy in patients aged ≤38years. Secondary: To assess the chances of pregnancy in the FET groups of artificial cycles using micronized vaginal progesterone (VP) versus injectable intramuscular progesterone (IMP) and the chances of pregnancy in type-1 embryo transfers (two top embryos).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 122 cycles of FET and compared two groups of patients aged 38 years or younger, one given hCG in the luteal phase and one not administered hCG.

RESULTS

The clinical pregnancy rates (CPR) in the control and hCG groups were 45% and 45.16%, respectively (p=0.9999). The live birth rates (LBR) were 33.33% and 32.25%, respectively, (p=0.99909). The CPR in the VP group (83 patients) was 46.89% versus 41.02% in the IMP group, (p=0.5459). The LBR was 33.73% in the VP group and 30.76% in the IMP group (39 patients), (p=0.7559).

CONCLUSIONS

The CPR and LBR of patients undergoing FET in groups prescribed and not prescribed low doses of recombinant hCG were similar. No significant difference was found between patients given VP or IMP.

Effect of intramuscular injection of human chorionic gonadotropin on endometrium preparation in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycle: A randomized clinical trial

Background

Assisted reproductive therapy (ART) has been developed remarkably in these decades; however, the rate of unsuccessful embryo implantation especially in the frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles remains high and is reported up to 70%. The current study was designed to compare the effect of intramuscular injection of hCG on endometrium preparation and embryo implantation, in women undergoing FET compared to the control group.

Methods

This clinical trial was done on 140 infertile women that underwent FET. The study sample was randomly allocated to the intervention group (two 5000 unit ampoules of hCG were injected intramuscularly before the first dose of progesterone administration) and the control group (without hCG injection). In both groups, 4 days after progesterone administration, the cleavage stage embryos were transferred. The study outcomes were biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and abortion rate.

Results

The average age of intervention and control group was 32.65±6.05 and 33.11±5.36 years, respectively. The basic information between two study groups did not differ significantly. The chemical (30% vs. 17.1%, P=0.073, relative risk (RR)=0.57) and clinical (28.6% vs. 14.3%, P=0.039, RR=0.50) pregnancy rates were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group; these higher ratios were only significant in clinical pregnancy rate. Abortion rate was not significantly (P=0.620) different between the intervention and control groups (4.3% vs. 1.4%, respectively).

Conclusion

This study showed that intramuscular injection of 10000 IU hCG before the endometrial secretory transformation phase in cleavage-stage embryo, improves IVF cycle outcomes.