Delaying the oocyte maturation trigger by one day leads to a higher metaphase II oocyte yield in IVF/ICSI: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background: The negative impact of rising progesterone levels on pregnancy rates is well known, but data on mature oocyte yield are conflicting. We examined whether delaying the oocyte maturation trigger in IVF/ICSI affected the number of mature oocytes and investigated the potential influence of serum progesterone levels in this process. Methods: Between January 31, 2011, and December 31, 2011, 262 consecutive patients were monitored using ultrasound plus hormonal evaluation. Those with > =3 follicles with a mean diameter of > =18 mm were divided into 2 groups depending on their serum progesterone levels. In cases with a progesterone level 1 ng/ml were randomised in the same manner, irrespective of the percentage of larger follicles (> = 18 mm). The number of metaphase II oocytes was our primary outcome variable. Because some patients were included more than once, correction for duplicate patients was performed. Results: In the study arm with low progesterone ( 1 ng/ml), the mean numbers of metaphase II oocytes (+/-SD) were 11.81 (+/-9.91) and 12.03 (+/-7.09) for the delayed and control groups, respectively. After adjusting for PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and female pathology, the mean difference was -0.44 (95% CI: -3.65-2.78; p = 0.79).Conclusions: Delaying oocyte maturation in patients with low progesterone levels yields greater numbers of mature oocytes. Trial registration: B67020108975 (Belgian registration) and NCT01980563 (ClinicalTrials.gov). © 2014 Vandekerckhove et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.