title: Short versus long gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue suppression protocols for superovulation in patients > or = 40 years old undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the short or long protocol for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation works better in older patients undergoing IVF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled, randomized study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single private IVF center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred twenty infertile women aged > or = 40 years undergoing IVF.
  
  
  METHODS
  At their first IVF cycle, the women were randomized into two study groups according to a computer-generated number sequence: 110 patients were treated with a long protocol, and the other 110 were treated with a short protocol for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Days of stimulation, E2 level at the day of hCG administration, amount of FSH administered, number of oocytes collected, number of embryos obtained, pregnancy rate, implantation rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients treated with a long protocol showed a significantly higher number of oocytes retrieved, a higher number of embryos obtained, and a higher pregnancy rate, both for cycle and transfer, compared with the short-protocol patients. The other parameters evaluated did not show any statistically significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that the long protocol performed better than the short protocol in older women. Our findings demonstrated that flare-up in older women might be detrimental.
authors.affiliation: Center of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Rome, Italy. marcandrea@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sbracia
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poverini
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morgia
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schimberni
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aragona
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013480:Superovulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone