GnRH for Luteal Support in IVF/ICSI/FET Cycles

During IVF cycles an embryo is generally placed into the uterine cavity between 3 and 5 days after fertilization. For a successful pregnancy to take place, that embryo must then implant in the properly primed and staged endometrium, which subsequently must continue to develop to accommodate the growing and maturing embryo and then fetus. This process is normally regulated by hormonal interactions between the fetal, endometrial and luteal tissue. It has been found that after IVF additional support for the endometrium with progesterone improves implantation and subsequent live birth rates in IVF cycle . Recent data has shown that additional supplementation with a single administration of a GnRH agonist around the time the time of embryo transfer may further enhance these rates .

Inclusion Criteria: women undergoing IVF/ICSI or frozen embryo transfers (FET) that less than 40 years old. Exclusion Criteria: day 3 transfers

van der Linden M, Buckingham K, Farquhar C, Kremer JA, Metwally M. Luteal phase support for assisted reproduction cycles. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Oct 5;(10):CD009154. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009154.pub2.

Oliveira JB, Baruffi R, Petersen CG, Mauri AL, Cavagna M, Franco JG Jr. Administration of single-dose GnRH agonist in the luteal phase in ICSI cycles: a meta-analysis. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2010 Sep 8;8:107. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-8-107.