Clinical Outcomes in Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)-Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) Protocol Increased by Administering Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist (GnRH) in the Initial Stage of the Luteal Phase: A Retrospective Analysis.
Mahmood. Aamir A; Tan. Li L
Key Findings
- Triporelin added to luteal support in HRT‑FET increased clinical pregnancy rate by ~47% (48.4%→58.0%).
- Live‑birth rate rose by ~33% with triptorelin (45.6%→52.7%).
- No significant improvement was observed in natural‑cycle FET or other FET protocols when triptorelin was used.
Practical Outcomes
- For IVF patients using a hormone‑replacement frozen embryo transfer, a brief regimen of triptorelin (typically 0.1 mg given 3‑4 times at the start of the luteal phase) may boost chances of pregnancy and live birth. Discuss this option with a reproductive specialist to tailor dosing and ensure safety; it isn’t relevant for non‑fertility health goals.
Summary
Adding the GnRH‑agonist triptorelin to the hormone support given after a frozen embryo transfer (using a hormone‑replacement protocol) raised pregnancy rates from about 48% to 58% and live‑birth rates from about 46% to 53%. The benefit was seen only in the hormone‑replacement cycles, not in natural‑cycle transfers or other protocols. This suggests a short, 3‑4‑dose course of triptorelin in the early luteal phase can improve IVF outcomes, but it’s specific to fertility treatment and not a general health hack.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine if gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH) administration supporting the luteal phase in frozen embryo transfer (FET) improves clinical outcomes Methods and materials This is a retrospective cohort study and we analyzed 3515 cycles of FET at the Department of Reproductive Medicine in our hospital from February 2018 through December 2021. Patients were divided into the GnRH (triptorelin+progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) group and the non-GnRHa (existing treatment without triptorelin) group. There were 1033 and 2485 cases in the above groups, respectively. Live birth rates (LBR) and clinical pregnancy rates (CPR) were contrasted in the two groups. We found greater CPR (58.00% versus 48.40%, P-value = 0.003) and LBR (52.70% versus 45.60%, P-value = 0.001) for HRT-FET cycles, and found no clinical significance for natural cycle FET (NC-FET) (58.20% versus 52.90%, P-value = 0.364 and 54.40% versus 47.00%, P-value=0.211), GnRH+HRT-FET (53.00% versus 53.00%, P-value=0.176 and 46.20% versus 47.30%, P-value=0.794), and stimulation-FET (59.30% versus 52.90%, P-value=.00.566 and 59.30% versus 47.10%, P-value=.00.247) in terms of CPR and LBR in the two groups. There was a 47% increase in CPR in the GnRH group, and there was a 33% increase in LBR in the same group. During HRT-FET cycles, administering triptorelin three to four times in the existing luteal support can improve CPR and LBR, and administering triptorelin during the initial stage of the luteal phase can prove a new option for luteal support.
Study Information
pubmed
2024
2024-02-08T00:00:00.000Z
10.7759/cureus.53877
2
30