title: Younger poor ovarian response women achieved better pregnancy results in the first three IVF cycles.
abstract: This retrospective cohort study observed the live birth rates as well as cumulative live birth rates in women with poor ovarian response (POR) undergoing IVF-embryo transfer treatment, stratified for age and cycle number. Four hundred and one patients with POR diagnosed according to the Bologna criteria were enrolled and 700 IVF-ET cycles were analysed. The overall live-birth rate per cycle was 18.3%. From cycle 1 up to cycle 3, the live-birth rates decreased significantly from 22.2% to 11.1%. The live-birth rate fell to 2.4% in cycles 4 and over. When age advanced, the live birth rates decreased obviously (P < 0.01): 30.0% for women < 35 years old, 17.0% for those 35-40 years old, and 9.0% for women older than 40 years. Similarly, the cumulative live birth rates dropped from 48.0% (< 35 years) to 16.9% (≥ 40 years) accordingly. Younger patients (< 35 years old) with POR achieved better pregnancy results compared with patients of advanced age. Extremely low live-birth rates could be anticipated after three unsuccessful cycles; therefore it may not be appropriate to suggest more IVF cycles in POR women.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Yajuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao 266011, China.
authors.forename: Xiuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Daimin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China.
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200127, China. Electronic address: liweiping@smhb.gov.ch.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250001, China; The Key laboratory for Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan 250001, China; National Research Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology and Reproductive Genetics, Jinan 250001, China. Electronic address: chenzijiang@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Zi-Jiang
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D010053:Ovary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Bologna criteria; cumulative live birth rate; live birth rate; poor ovarian responder; poor ovarian response