Objective: To evaluate the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) pre-treatment before in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) on the live birth rate in infertile women with poor ovarian response (POR) defined according to the Bologna criteria.
Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Setting: Nine reproductive medical centers in China.
Population: A total of 821 participants with POR defined according to the Bologna criteria were enrolled in the study between April 2016 and December 2018.
Methods: Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive either DHEA (n = 410) or placebo (n = 411) treatments for 4-12 weeks prior to IVF-ET, in a 1:1 ratio.
Main outcome measures: Live birth rate after the first embryo transfer.
Results: Thirty-six (8.8%) of 410 women in the DHEA group and 37 (9.0%) of 411 women in the placebo group had a live birth, with no significant difference observed between groups (relative risk, 0.98, 95% CI, 0.63-1.51; p = 0.911). There were no significant differences in the number of retrieved oocytes, and the rates of clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and cumulative live births between the two groups.
Conclusions: DHEA administration prior to IVF-ET had no beneficial effect on the live birth rate relative to placebo in women with POR defined according to the Bologna criteria.
Tweetable abstract: No benefit was found in poor ovarian responders who received DHEA administration prior to IVF.
Keywords: Bologna criteria; DHEA; in vitro fertilisation; live birth rate; poor ovarian response.
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.