A modest increase in serum progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration may influence pregnancy rate and pregnancy loss in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) patients.

PURPOSE

Our purpose was to study the effect of a modest increase in preovulatory serum progesterone (P4) levels in hyperstimulated patients and its association with pregnancy rate and pregnancy loss following in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET).

PATIENTS

Only patients with mechanical factor and three transferred embryos were included in the present study. They were divided into two groups according to two critical breakpoints for P4 serum levels on the day of hCG administration: serum P4 below 0.6 ng/ml in 28 cycles (group I) and > 0.6 ng/ml in 80 cycles (group II).

SETTING

The setting was the IVF program at Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

RESULTS

The pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was 53% (15/28) in group I and 10% (8/80) in group II (P < 0.025). Of 15 pregnancies achieved in group I, 14 were ongoing pregnancies, compared to 4 of 8 ongoing pregnancies in group II (P < 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a very modest increase in serum P4 levels on the day of hCG administration is associated with lower pregnancy and ongoing pregnancy rates in IVF-ET.