The outcome of in-vitro fertilization treatment in women with sonographic evidence of polycystic ovarian morphology

Abstract

This study compared the outcome of a course of up to three cycles of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in 46 women (97 cycles) who had polycystic ovaries (PCO) seen on ultrasound scan, but who had no clinical symptomatology associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, with that of 145 women (332 cycles) who had normal ovarian morphology on ultrasound examination. All 191 women had normal early follicular phase serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations, were less than 40 years of age and used the long protocol of pituitary suppression with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist therapy. On average, the women with PCO produced more follicles, oocytes and embryos than the women with normal ovaries, but the fertilization, cleavage and miscarriage rates were similar. Adjusted for age, the odds of achieving a pregnancy within three cycles of treatment in a woman with PCO were 69% higher than those of a woman with normal ovaries [odds ratio (OR): 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99-2.90, P = 0.05)] and the odds of achieving a live birth were 82% higher (OR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.05-3.16, P = 0.03). There is, therefore, evidence that outcome of IVF treatment for women with PCO seen on ultrasound examination may be better than that for women with normal ovaries.

Cumulative live-birth rate in women with polycystic ovary syndrome or isolated polycystic ovaries undergoing in-vitro fertilisation treatment

“…This echoed the findings in some reported studies [10,[12][13][14][15], while some others have reported higher pregnancy rates in women with PCO compared to controls [9,11]. In contrast to some of the reported studies, our study made use of age-matched controls, which eliminated the confounding effect of age to the treatment outcome.…”

“…There were a few studies on the IVF outcome of this group [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Some of these reported similar pregnancy or live birth rates in the isolated PCO group compared to controls [10,[12][13][14][15], whereas some reported higher pregnancy rates than controls [9,11].…”

What can we learn from gene expression profiling of mouse oocytes?

“…The reproductive performance of women undergoing IVF treatment with PCOS is characterized by their good response to ovarian stimulation that yields higher number of oocytes; however, with lower implantation and higher miscarriage rates (Engmann et al 1999, Ludwig et al 1999, Mulders et al 2003. Individual oocytes retrieved from nine women with PCOS and that from ten non-hirsute ovulatory women are used for microarray hybridization (Wood et al 2007).…”

Pregnancy Outcomes in Infertile Women with Polycystic Ovaries following Intracellular Sperm Injection

“…Studies regarding the impact of PCOS or PCOM on oocyte competence are conflicting [28][29][30][31][32][33]. Many factors could have been responsible on this contradiction such as ovulation induction program, patient age and ethnicity [34], and BMI.…”