title: MildVersusConventional Ovarian Stimulation for Poor Responders Undergoing IVF/ICSI.
abstract: Mild stimulation protocols have been implemented to be offered to subfertile patients who respond poorly to ovarian stimulation. We aimed to compare the efficacy of mild versus conventional gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-agonist and antagonist protocols in poor responders undergoing in vitro fertilization/intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles.
  
  
  
  A total of 58 poorly-responding patients were divided into two groups: mild group (n=33), receiving clomiphene citrate 100 mg and 0.25 mg of cetrorelix with 150 IU of gonadotrophins daily; conventional group (n=25), undergoing the long GnRH-agonist or -antagonist protocols. The primary outcome was the number of cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) retrieved.
  
  
  
  A lower number of COCs [median (range)=1 (0-4) vs. 3 (0-8.4), p<0.001] was retrieved in the mild stimulation compared to the conventional group. Secondary outcomes favored the conventional group, whereas live birth (9.1% vs. 12%), clinical pregnancy (12.1% vs. 20%) and miscarriage rate (40% vs. 40%) were similar in the two groups.
  
  
  
  Mild ovarian stimulation is inferior to conventional regimes when applied to poor responders undergoing IVF/ICSI, in terms of the numbers of retrieved COCs.
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece harrysiri@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Siristatidis
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salamalekis
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Thessaly, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dafopoulos
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basios
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vogiatzi
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papantoniou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D054315:Oocyte Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation; clomiphene citrate; mild stimulation; poor responders; recombinant FSH