Follicular Synchronization in PCOS Patients Undergoing ICSI

Summary

The use of GnRH antagonist protocol nowadays is the slandered protocol of controlled ovarian stimulation in patients with poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) because it decreases the incidence of OHSS(1, 2). However, this protocol may lead to asynchronous growth of follicles with an early dominant follicle specially in PCOS patients(3). In most of cases this phenomenon will affect the IVF outcomes(2, 4) Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) nowadays is recommended to be used for ovulation induction in patients with PCOS (5, 6).It has fewer side effects, and a shorter half-life than clomiphene citrate(CC), and no effect ON the endometrial receptivity. It is used in treating patients with chronic anovulation, unexplained infertility and poor ovarian reserve(7). It acts through decreasing estrogen levels and allows follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) release from the hypothalamus (8, 9). It could be used alone or with combination with human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) specially in patients with CC resistant(10-13). It also improves the ovarian response to FSH when they are used in combination and it decreases the risk of OHSS (14). This study aims to evaluate the effect of uses of letrozole in combination with HMG during ovarian stimulation in patients having PCOS undergoing IVF/ICSI on the follicular growth pattern, synchronized growth of follicles, maturity of oocyte and the quality of embryos.

Timeline

Start

2019-08-01

Primary completion

2022-02-20

Completion

2022-02-20

Publications

• Background Al-Inany HG, Youssef MA, Ayeleke RO, Brown J, Lam WS, Broekmans FJ. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists for assisted reproductive technology. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Apr 29;4(4):CD001750. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001750.pub4.
• Background Teede HJ, Misso ML, Costello MF, Dokras A, Laven J, Moran L, Piltonen T, Norman RJ; International PCOS Network. Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum Reprod. 2018 Sep 1;33(9):1602-1618. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dey256.
• Background Wang R, Mol BW. The Rotterdam criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: evidence-based criteria? Hum Reprod. 2017 Feb;32(2):261-264. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dew287. Epub 2016 Nov 9.
• Background Ferraretti AP, Gianaroli L. The Bologna criteria for the definition of poor ovarian responders: is there a need for revision? Hum Reprod. 2014 Sep;29(9):1842-5. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deu139. Epub 2014 Jul 9.
• Background Franik S, Eltrop SM, Kremer JA, Kiesel L, Farquhar C. Aromatase inhibitors (letrozole) for subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 May 24;5(5):CD010287. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010287.pub3.
• Background Zhao Y, Ruan X, Mueck AO. Letrozole combined with low dose highly purified HMG for ovulation induction in clomiphene citrate-resistant infertile Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a prospective study. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2017 Jun;33(6):462-466. doi: 10.1080/09513590.2017.1292241. Epub 2017 Feb 28.
• Background Wang R, Kim BV, van Wely M, Johnson NP, Costello MF, Zhang H, Ng EH, Legro RS, Bhattacharya S, Norman RJ, Mol BW. Treatment strategies for women with WHO group II anovulation: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2017 Jan 31;356:j138. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j138.

Drugs

Indications