title: Dehydroepiandrosterone supplementation improves ovarian response and cycle outcome in poor responders.
abstract: The effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation on cycle outcome was assessed in patients with poor ovarian response. In total, 19 poor responder patients who were scheduled to undergo a second intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)/embryo transfer cycle were enrolled and first ICSI/embryo transfer cycles were taken as the control group. All subjects were given DHEA supplementation (25 mg t.i.d.) for at least 3 months prior to their second ICSI/embryo transfer cycle. In both cycles a fixed dose of rFSH (300 IU/day) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) (75 or 150 IU/day) along with a flexible gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol were administered. A favourable decrease was noted in mean day 3 serum oestradiol concentrations after DHEA supplementation (75.14 +/- 28.93 versus 43.07 +/- 11.77; P < 0.01). Increased number of >17 mm follicles (3 +/- 0.7 versus 1.9 +/- 1.3; P < 0.05), MII oocytes (4 +/- 1.8 versus 2.1 +/- 1.8; P < 0.05), top quality day 2 (2.2 +/- 0.8 versus 1.3 +/- 1.1; P < 0.05) and day 3 embryos (1.9 +/- 0.8 versus 0.7 +/- 0.6; P < 0.05) were achieved in DHEA-supplemented cycles. Cycle cancellation rates were reduced (5.3% versus 42.1%; P < 0.01), and the pregnancy rate per patient and clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (47.4% versus 10.5%; P < 0.01 and 44.4% versus 0%; P < 0.01) were improved after DHEA supplementation. DHEA supplementation might enhance ovarian response, reduce cycle cancellation rates and increase embryo quality in poor responders.
authors.affiliation: Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara, Turkey. msonmezer@gmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sönmezer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ozmen
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Cil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozkavukçu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taşçi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olmuş
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Atabekoğlu
mesh_terms: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005300:Fertility Agents, Female / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
chemical_list: D005300:Fertility Agents, Female; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D004958:Estradiol