Elevated serum progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration in in vitro fertilization cycles do not adversely affect embryo quality.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of an elevated serum P level on the day of hCG administration in an IVF cycle on resulting embryos by evaluating their performance at subsequent frozen ET.

DESIGN

A retrospective study.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-six consecutive patients undergoing frozen ET cycles were studied in a tertiary care center.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Serum obtained on the day of hCG administration in an IVF cycle was assayed for E2 and P by RIA. The main outcome measured was the development of a clinical pregnancy in a subsequent frozen ET cycle.

RESULTS

Using a previously described breakpoint in serum P concentration of 0.9 ng/mL (2.86 nmol/L), 8 of 69 (11.6%) frozen ETs in which embryos from low P level IVF cycles were transferred and 7 of 27 (25.9%) frozen ETs of embryos from elevated P level IVF cycles were transferred resulted in the development of clinical pregnancies. Although this does not clearly demonstrate superiority of embryos obtained from elevated P cycles, employing a power calculation, the probability that the pregnancy rate in the elevated serum P group is at least equal to the observed rate in the low P group is 92.8%.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that an elevated serum P level on the day of hCG administration does not adversely affect the quality of oocytes or resulting embryos.