Association between endogenous LH level prior to progesterone administration and live birth rate in artificial frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles of ovulatory women

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONIs there an association between serum LH levels prior to progesterone administration and live birth rate (LBR) in artificial frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles?SUMMARY ANSWER: Low serum LH levels on the day before progesterone initiation in artificial frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles of ovulatory women are associated with a lower LBR.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYIn artificial FET cycles, exogenous oestrogen and progesterone are administered sequentially to mimic the serum hormone pattern similar to the natural cycle. In oestrogen-only phase, the supplemental oestrogen causes thickening of the endometrium and is sometimes accompanied by a rise in serum LH. However, whether the endogenous LH level in artificial FET cycles is related to clinical outcomes remains unclear.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONA retrospective cohort study including 3469 artificial frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles was conducted at a tertiary-care academic medical centre between February 2014 and January 2020.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSA total of 3469 frozen blastocyst transfer cycles were stratified into four groups based on the quartiles of serum LH level before progesterone initiation:<25th percentile (LH< 8.79 mIU/ml), 25 –50th percentile (8.79 ≤ LH ≤ 13.91 mIU/ml), 51–75th percentile (13.91< LH ≤ 20.75 mIU/ml) and>75th percentile (LH> 20.75 mIU/ml). The serum LH level>75th percentile group was considered as the reference group....
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research