Effect of luteal-phase GnRH agonist on frozen-thawed embryo transfer during artificial cycles: a randomised clinical pilot study

Yanghong Liu; Kaishu Huang; Cheng Chen; Li Wen; Min Lei; Yabin Guo; Bin Tang

doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1098576

Effect of luteal-phase GnRH agonist on frozen-thawed embryo transfer during artificial cycles: a randomised clinical pilot study

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Jun 9:14:1098576. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1098576. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Yanghong Liu¹, Kaishu Huang², Cheng Chen², Li Wen², Min Lei², Yabin Guo², Bin Tang²

Affiliations

¹ Reproductive Medicine Center, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
² Reproductive Medicine Center, The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, Hunan, China.

Abstract

Purpose: This randomised clinical pilot study evaluated the effect of the mid-luteal additional single dose of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) on the clinical outcome of the females subjected to artificial cycle frozen-thawed embryo transfer (AC-FET).

Methods: A total of 129 females were randomised into two groups (70 in the control group and 59 in the intervention group). Both groups received standard luteal support. The intervention group was given an extra dose of 0.1 mg GnRH-a in the luteal phase. The live birth rate served as the primary endpoint. The secondary endpoints were the positivity of pregnancy tests, the clinical pregnancy rate, the miscarriage rate, the implantation rate, and the multiple pregnancy rate.

Results: There were more positive pregnancy tests, clinical pregnancies, live births, and twinning pregnancies, and fewer miscarriages observed in the intervention arm compared to the controls, though no statistical significance was concluded. No difference was found in the number of macrosomia in the two groups. There was no congenital abnormality newborn.

Conclusion: Overall, the difference of 12.1 percentage points in the live births rate (40.7% vs 28.6%) between the two groups, however, is statistically insignificant. the improvement of the pregnancy outcome supports the non-inferiority of GnRH-a added during the luteal phase in AC-FET. Larger-scale clinical trials are required to further establish the positive benefits.

Keywords: artificial cycle; clinical outcomes; frozen-thawed embryo transfer; gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist; luteal phase support.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Embryo Implantation
Embryo Transfer*
Female
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* / agonists
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Luteal Phase
Pilot Projects
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome*

Substances

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation Project of Hunan Province, China (grant No. 2023JJ40917), and the Changsha City Science and Technology Project (grant No. kq2208349).