P-596 Rectal progesterone administration secures high ongoing pregnancy rate in a personalized Hormone Replacement Therapy Frozen Embryo Transfer (HRT-FET) protocol - a prospective interventional study
Authors: Alsbjerg B , Jensen M B , Povlsen B B , Elbaek H O , Laursen R , Mikkelsen A , Reich M C , Kesmodel U S , Humaidan P 
Published: June 2023

Study question

Can supplementation with additional rectal administration of progesterone secure high ongoing pregnancy rates (OPR) in patients with low serum progesterone (P4) at blastocyst transfer (ET)?

Summary answer

Rectally administered progesterone starting on the blastocyst transfer day secures high OPR in patients with serum P4 levels lower than 35 nmol/l (11ng/ml).

What is known already

Low serum P4 levels at peri-implantation in HRT-FET cycles impact reproductive outcomes negatively. However, studies have shown that patients with low P4 after a standard vaginal progesterone treatment can obtain live birth rates (LBR) comparable to patients with optimal P4 levels if they receive additional subcutaneous progesterone, starting close to the day of blastocyst transfer. In contrast, increasing vaginal progesterone supplementation in low serum P4 patients does not increase LBR. Another route of administration rarely used in ART is the rectal route, although progesterone is well absorbed and serum P4 levels reach a maximum level after approximately two hours.

Study design, size, duration

This prospective interventional study included a cohort of 488 patients treated with single blastocyst HRT-FET, in which a total of 374 patients had a serum P4 level ≥35nmol/l (11ng/ml) at ET, and 114 patients had a serum P4 level &lt;35nmol/l (11ng/ml). The study was conducted from January 2020 to November 2022.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Patients undergoing HRT-FET in a public Fertility Clinic. Endometrial preparation included oral oestradiol (6mg/24hours), followed by vaginal micronized progesterone, 400mg/12hours. Single blastocyst transfer and P4 measurements were performed on the 6th day of progesterone administration and patients with serum P4 &lt;35nmol/l (11ng/ml) additional rectal administration of progesterone (400mg/12hour) was started the same day. In pregnant patients, vaginal and rectal administration continued until week 8, and oestradiol and vaginal progesterone treatment continued until week 10.

Main results and the role of chance

Among 488 HRT-FET single blastocyst transfers, the mean age of the patients at oocyte retrieval (OR) was 30.9 ±4.6 years and the mean BMI at ET 25.1 ±3.5 kg/m2.

The mean serum P4 level after vaginal progesterone administration on the day of blastocyst transfer was 48.9 ±21.0 nmol/l (15.4 ±6.6ng/ml), and a total of 23% (114/488) of the patients had a serum P4 level lower than 35nmol/l (11ng/ml). The overall, positive hCG rate, clinical pregnancy rate, OPR week 12, and total pregnancy loss rate were 66% (320/488), 54% (265/488), 45% (221/488), and 31% (99/320), respectively. There was no significant difference in neither OPR week 12 nor total pregnancy loss rate between patients with P4 ≥35nmol/l (11ng/ml) and patients with P4 &lt;35nmol/l, who received rescue in terms of rectally administered progesterone, 45% vs. 46%, p = 0.77 and 30% vs. 34%, p = 0.53, respectively.

OPR did not depend on whether patients had initially low P4 and rectal rescue or were above the P4 cut-off. Logistic regression analysis showed that only age at OR and blastocyst scoring correlated with OPR week 12, independently of other factors like BMI, and vitrification day of blastocysts (day 5 or 6).

Limitations, reasons for caution

In this study vaginal progesterone (Cyclogest®), a solid pessary with progesterone suspended in vegetable hard fat, was used vaginally as well as rectally. It is unknown whether other vaginal progesterone products could be used rectally as easily with the same rescue effect.

Wider implications of the findings

A substantial part of HRT-FET patients receiving vaginal progesterone treatment has low serum P4. Adding rectally administered progesterone in these patients increases the reproductive outcome. Importantly, rectal progesterone administration is considered convenient by the majority of patients; moreover, progesterone pessaries are easy to administer rectally and of low cost.

Trial registration number

EudraCT no.: 2019-001539-29