title: Elevated serum progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration in in vitro fertilization cycles do not adversely affect embryo quality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of an elevated serum P level on the day of hCG administration in an IVF cycle on resulting embryos by evaluating their performance at subsequent frozen ET.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six consecutive patients undergoing frozen ET cycles were studied in a tertiary care center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum obtained on the day of hCG administration in an IVF cycle was assayed for E2 and P by RIA. The main outcome measured was the development of a clinical pregnancy in a subsequent frozen ET cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a previously described breakpoint in serum P concentration of 0.9 ng/mL (2.86 nmol/L), 8 of 69 (11.6%) frozen ETs in which embryos from low P level IVF cycles were transferred and 7 of 27 (25.9%) frozen ETs of embryos from elevated P level IVF cycles were transferred resulted in the development of clinical pregnancies. Although this does not clearly demonstrate superiority of embryos obtained from elevated P cycles, employing a power calculation, the probability that the pregnancy rate in the elevated serum P group is at least equal to the observed rate in the low P group is 92.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that an elevated serum P level on the day of hCG administration does not adversely affect the quality of oocytes or resulting embryos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 78284-7836.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Silverberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Olive
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Schenken
mesh_terms: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008596:Menotropins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D011374:Progesterone; D008596:Menotropins