title: Short versus Long Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogue Suppression Protocols in IVF/ICSI Cycles in Patients of Various Age Ranges.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the two GnRH-a protocols (long GnRH-a protocol and short GnRH-a protocol) for ovarian stimulation in IVF/ICSI cycles in patients of various age ranges.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 5662 IVF-ET/ICSI cycles from 2010 to 2013 were retrospectively identified. The cycles were divided into two groups: a long protocol group and short protocol group. In each group, the patients were divided into four age ranges: <31 years, 31 to 35 years, 36 to 40 years, and >40 years. The duration of stimulation, total dose of Gn, implantation rate and pregnancy rate were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total dose of Gn was significantly higher, and the duration of stimulation was significantly longer, in the long protocol group than in the short protocol group for all age ranges (P<0.05). If the patients were of the same age range, the number of oocytes retrieved, MII oocytes, and high-quality embryos in the long protocol group were all significantly greater than those in the short protocol group (P<0.05). In the long protocol group, the clinical pregnancy rates of the four age ranges were 52.76%, 44.33%, 36.15% and 13.33%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the short protocol group (33.33%, 24.58%, 22.49% and 8.72%, respectively; P<0.05). The same trend was also found in the implantation rates of the four age ranges. As the age increased, the clinical pregnancy and implantation rates, as well as the number of oocytes retrieved, MII oocytes, and high-quality embryos, of the long protocol group significantly decreased (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that regardless of patient age, the long protocol was superior to the short protocol in terms of the number of retrieved oocytes, as well as the implantation and pregnancy rates.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Weijie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yubin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yanwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Canquan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous; D000328:Adult; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009865:Oocytes; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone