title: Adding luteinizing hormone to follicle stimulating hormone from day 3-5 improves pregnancy outcome in normal but not poor responders using gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if the addition of luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulation for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) protocols using gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists improves pregnancy rates following in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).
  
  
  METHODS
  All IVF-ET cycles using a GnRH antagonist were evaluated according to whether FSH was used exclusively or if LH was added. The cycles were further stratified according to age (< or = 39 and 40-42 years) and according to good responders (> or = five oocytes retrieved) or poor responders (< or = four oocytes).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Combining all data, a significantly higher clinical and live delivered pregnancy rates were found in those adding LH (34.7% and 32.3%) vs those taking all FSH (33.4% and 25.8%). The only subgroup not showing this effect was the women aged 40-42 years with diminished oocyte reserve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LH should be added not only to COH protocols using GnRH agonists but also those using GnRH antagonists.
authors.affiliation: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Camden, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Check
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mitchell-Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone