Comparison of two ovarian stimulation protocols among women with poor response: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

This is a randomized controlled trial conducted in a tertiary referral fertility department. Participants were women with previous poor ovarian response undergoing in vitro fertilization. (IVF). One hundred and ninety-two women were randomized to the short GnRH agonist and antagonist regimens. The primary outcome was the number of oocytes retrieved. Secondary outcome measures were the number of embryos transferred, chemical and clinical pregnancy rate and live birth. The number of oocytes retrieved was higher with the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist regimen compared to the short agonist regimen (3.10 2.70 vs. 2.992.60), but there was no significant difference. The duration of stimulation and total gonadotropin dose were higher with short agonist regimens compared to antagonist regimens, with the latter being statistically significant (p < 0.001). The chemical pregnancy rate was 8.33 percent with the short agonist regimen and 7.29 percent with the antagonist regimen, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.79). In terms of lower cycles cancelation and higher chemical pregnancy, short GnRH agonist regim is appropriate choice for poor responders.