Comparison of ART outcome in patients with poor ovarian response according to POSEIDON criteria

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the patient-oriented strategies encompassing individualized oocyte number (POSEIDON) criteria can reflect the prognosis of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) by comparing the results of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) between four POSEIDON and normal responder (NR) groups. In total, 225 patients were included in this retrospective observational study. The patients underwent various COS protocols and in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, followed by fresh or frozen embryo transfer. Based on their clinical and demographic data, patients were divided into four groups according to the POSEIDON classification, and their ART outcomes were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.0.5, and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The NR group had the highest number of total oocytes retrieved and total embryos obtained, as well as the best ART outcome in terms of clinical pregnancy rate ([CPR], 47.6%). The POSEIDON groups 1 and 2 had better COS and ART outcomes than groups 3 and 4 (CPR, 22.6%, 22.1%, 16.7%, and 4.8% in groups 1–4, respectively); the patients in group 3 were younger than those in group 2 by definition, but their CPR was lower than that of patients in group 2. When comparing young and old women with low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, the younger group (POSEIDON group 2) had better COS and ART outcomes than their older counterparts, especially POSEIDON group 4. A binary logistic regression adjusted for body mass index (BMI) comparing the ART outcomes of patients that did not get pregnant in the POSEIDON groups compared to the NR group showed odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval) of 2.938 (1.496–5.768), 3.376 (1.848–6.167), 6.801 (2.740–16.881), and 20.497 (8.284–50.713) for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Ovarian reserve still seems to outweigh patients’ age when predicting the ART outcomes of low-responder infertile women, as suggested by the results of POSEIDON groups 2 and 3. However, when there are no differences in ovarian reserve, as in POSEIDON groups 2 and 4, younger women with low AMH have a higher probability of pregnancy than their AMH-matched older counterparts.