The Rescue of Hormonal Replacement Frozen Embryo Transfer Cycle With Low Serum Progesterone.

Summary

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) is increasingly adopted strategy in modern IVF. Among the many factors that have contributed to such change, the pursuit of an ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome free clinic has been strongly required. Improvements in the vitrification and warming processes and the excellent cryo-survival rates have turned FET in our main tool for preventing this complication. Moreover, a freeze all strategy has proven to provide excellent or even better pregnancy rates (PRs), not only in high but also in normal responders. While ART have rapidly evolved in the areas of embryo culture, vitrification and understanding of the embryo development, little progress has been achieved regarding endometrial preparation for FET. Undoubtedly, correct implantation requires a good quality embryo and a suitable decidualized endometrium. Artificial cycles require hormone replacement treatment (HRT) with estradiol and progesterone (P4). However, there is not a single standardized treatment described for optimal endometrial preparation and no protocol has proven superiority in terms of reproductive outcomes.(5, 6) Although artificial preparation is the most convenient method to schedule FET cycles, recent reports have highlighted a potentially detrimental effect of low P4 levels prior to FET on miscarriage and live birth rates (LBRs). These results have been observed both in homologous and oocyte recipient FET cycles(7, 8), but also in FET cycles of embryos that had undergone PGT for aneuploidies (PGT-A).(9) Additional P4 supplementation may be a way to improve reproductive outcomes in these patients. Our open labelled randomized control study aims to investigate whether patients with low serum P4 levels the day before FET under standard HRT can benefit in terms of clinical and ongoing pregnancy and implantation rates from an individualized luteal phase support consisting in the addition of oral dydrogesterone supplementation or daily subcutaneous P4 injection.

Timeline

Start

2023-01-01

Primary completion

2023-12

Completion

2023-12-31

Publications

• Background Devroey P, Polyzos NP, Blockeel C. An OHSS-Free Clinic by segmentation of IVF treatment. Hum Reprod. 2011 Oct;26(10):2593-7. doi: 10.1093/humrep/der251. Epub 2011 Aug 9.
• Background Chen ZJ, Shi Y, Sun Y, Zhang B, Liang X, Cao Y, Yang J, Liu J, Wei D, Weng N, Tian L, Hao C, Yang D, Zhou F, Shi J, Xu Y, Li J, Yan J, Qin Y, Zhao H, Zhang H, Legro RS. Fresh versus Frozen Embryos for Infertility in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2016 Aug 11;375(6):523-33. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1513873.
• Background Wei D, Liu JY, Sun Y, Shi Y, Zhang B, Liu JQ, Tan J, Liang X, Cao Y, Wang Z, Qin Y, Zhao H, Zhou Y, Ren H, Hao G, Ling X, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Qi X, Zhang L, Deng X, Chen X, Zhu Y, Wang X, Tian LF, Lv Q, Ma X, Zhang H, Legro RS, Chen ZJ. Frozen versus fresh single blastocyst transfer in ovulatory women: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2019 Mar 30;393(10178):1310-1318. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32843-5. Epub 2019 Feb 28.
• Background Stormlund S, Sopa N, Zedeler A, Bogstad J, Praetorius L, Nielsen HS, Kitlinski ML, Skouby SO, Mikkelsen AL, Spangmose AL, Jeppesen JV, Khatibi A, la Cour Freiesleben N, Ziebe S, Polyzos NP, Bergh C, Humaidan P, Andersen AN, Lossl K, Pinborg A. Freeze-all versus fresh blastocyst transfer strategy during in vitro fertilisation in women with regular menstrual cycles: multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2020 Aug 5;370:m2519. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2519.
• Background Ghobara T, Gelbaya TA, Ayeleke RO. Cycle regimens for frozen-thawed embryo transfer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Jul 5;7(7):CD003414. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003414.pub3.
• Background Groenewoud ER, Cohlen BJ, Macklon NS. Programming the endometrium for deferred transfer of cryopreserved embryos: hormone replacement versus modified natural cycles. Fertil Steril. 2018 May;109(5):768-774. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.02.135.
• Background Cedrin-Durnerin I, Isnard T, Mahdjoub S, Sonigo C, Seroka A, Comtet M, Herbemont C, Sifer C, Grynberg M. Serum progesterone concentration and live birth rate in frozen-thawed embryo transfers with hormonally prepared endometrium. Reprod Biomed Online. 2019 Mar;38(3):472-480. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.11.026. Epub 2019 Jan 5.
• Background Volovsky M, Pakes C, Rozen G, Polyakov A. Do serum progesterone levels on day of embryo transfer influence pregnancy outcomes in artificial frozen-thaw cycles? J Assist Reprod Genet. 2020 May;37(5):1129-1135. doi: 10.1007/s10815-020-01713-w. Epub 2020 Feb 10.
• Background Gaggiotti-Marre S, Martinez F, Coll L, Garcia S, Alvarez M, Parriego M, Barri PN, Polyzos N, Coroleu B. Low serum progesterone the day prior to frozen embryo transfer of euploid embryos is associated with significant reduction in live birth rates. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2019 May;35(5):439-442. doi: 10.1080/09513590.2018.1534952. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.