Effect of repeated assisted reproductive technology cycles on ovarian response.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of repeated assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles on the ovarian response in patients treated with human menopausal gonadotropins and GnRH agonists.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis.


METHODS
Tertiary referral center.


METHODS
Three thousand two hundred forty-nine patients who had completed at least two in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles (minimum two, maximum six cycles per patient).


METHODS
Nine thousand three hundred seventy-nine repeated IVF/ICSI cycles.


METHODS
Mean number of cumulus oocyte complexes (COC) retrieved per cycle, mean number of ampules used per attempt.


RESULTS
Repeated ART cycles did not exert a significant effect on the mean number of COC retrieved per attempt in contrast to maternal age, which was inversely related to the mean number of COC retrieved in all cycles performed. Across repeated ART attempts, an increase in the mean number of ampules used per cycle was observed. This was due to an effect of maternal age, which increased in line with the mean number of ampules used per cycle, as well as to an age-independent effect of repeated cycles.


CONCLUSIONS
An age-independent deterioration of the ovarian response appears to occur across repeated ART cycles.
Kolibianakis
Efstratios
E
Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Dutch-Speaking Brussels Free University, Brussels, Belgium. stratis@easynet.be
Osmanagaoglu
Kaan
K
Camus
Michel
M
Tournaye
Herman
H
Van Steirteghem
Andre
A
Devroey
Paul
P
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D009865:Oocytes; D010053:Ovary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome