COMPARATIVE TRIAL BETWEEN AN ULTRA-SHORT AND LONG PROTOCOL OF LUTEINIZING-HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONE AGONIST FOR OVARIAN STIMULATION IN INVITRO FERTILIZATION

A total of 312 patients with tubal infertility participated in a prospective randomized study comparing two regimens of ovarian stimulation with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist (buserelin) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG). Half of the patients were given an ultra-short treatment protocol when the agonist was administered on days 2, 3 and 4 of the stimulated cycles; the other half were given a long protocol when the agonist was administered from the mid-luteal phase of the cycle preceding the treatment cycle. The mean number of HMG ampoules used per patient was significantly higher in the long protocol. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the incidence of cancelled cycles, failed oocyte recovery, mean number of oocytes recovered per patient, complete failure of fertilization and the fertilization and embryo cleavage rate. More patients undergoing the long protocol had supernumerary embryos cryopreserved and successful deliveries.