Lyon, France -- An international group of fertility specialists has developed an easy-to use mathematical formula that allows a personalised approach to ovarian stimulation therapy for women seeking fertility treatment. Clinical tests demonstrated that when clinicians used the formula (or algorithm) to calculate the best starting dose for each patient, both the number of oocytes retrieved and pregnancy rates rose.
Professor Franois Olivennes told the 23rd annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Monday 2 July) that the algorithm was based on four factors that predicted ovarian response and that were measured routinely when women were evaluated for fertility treatment: normal (or basal) levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), body mass index, age and the number of small growing (antral) follicles in the ovary detected during screening.
This FSH dose algorithm is simple and easy to use and utilises readily available patient characteristics, said Prof Olivennes, coordinator of the Centre de FIV Eylau La Muette, Paris, France. It is the first to be tested in a prospective multi-national clinical study and it provided each patient with an individualised starting dose of FSH, which could be maintained throughout treatment and resulted in an excellent treatment outcome as testified by the number of oocytes retrieved and the high pregnancy rates.
This approach should enable us to improve patient management, treatment outcomes and safety by reducing the chances of having to either cancel cycles because the ovaries have not been stimulated enough or of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) developing because the ovaries have been over-stimulated.
Moderate or severe OHSS can occur in 3-8% of IVF cycles [1]. Moderate OHSS can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Severe OHSS, which is an uncommon event, can be accompanied by ovarian enlargement and fluid imbalances, sometimes resulti
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European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology
2-Jul-2007