O-190 Hormone-free versus FSH-primed infertility treatment of women with polycystic ovary syndrome using biphasic in vitro maturation: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Vuong L  N , Ho V  N , Pham H  H , Nguyen N  T , Pham T  D , Le H  L , Le T  K , Ha A  N , Ly T  T , Le A  H , Tran C  T , Huynh B  G , Smitz J  E , Gilchrist R  B , Ho T  M 
Published: July 2024

Study question

Is any hormone stimulation needed to treat infertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) using in vitro maturation (IVM)?

Summary answer

Number of matured oocytes and pregnancy outcomes were similar without or with FSH-priming in women with PCOS undergoing IVM.

What is known already

In vitro maturation (IVM) is a low-intervention alternative to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for infertility treatment. Current standard clinical practice for human IVM is to prime patients for 2–5 days with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and/or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) before harvesting immature or mixed maturity oocytes for infertility treatment. This gonadotropin priming is thought necessary to induce sufficient follicle and oocyte development in vivo to support subsequent oocyte maturation and embryo development in vitro when using a single step (monophasic) oocyte maturation culture system. It is not clear whether hormone-free IVM can generate satisfactory pregnancy and live birth rates.

Study design, size, duration

This randomised, controlled trial was conducted at an tertiary IVF center, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Between January 2023 and June 2023, 120 women (60 per group) were randomised.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Eligible women were aged 18–37 years and had PCOS with an indication for biphasic capacitation-IVM (CAPA-IVM). After providing written informed consent, participants were randomised (1:1) to undergo CAPA-IVM with or without FSH-priming. Participants in the FSH-priming group received two days of FSH injections before oocyte pick-up; no FSH was given in the non-FSH group. After CAPA-IVM, day-5 embryos were vitrified for transfer in a subsequent cycle. The primary endpoint was number of matured oocytes.

Main results and the role of chance

The number [interquartile range] of matured oocytes after CAPA-IVM did not differ significantly between the non-FSH and FSH groups (13 [9; 18] vs. 14 [7; 18]; absolute difference –1 [95% confidence interval –5, 4]). There were also no significant between-group differences in other oocyte and embryology outcomes, including the number of cumulus-oocyte complexes, number of fertilized oocytes, total number of blastocysts and good blastocysts, and total number of frozen embryos. No between-group differences were found in the rates of ongoing pregnancy and live birth, which were both 38.3% in the non-FSH group and both 31.7% in the FSH group; the miscarriage rate at &lt; 12 weeks’ gestation was 5.0% in both groups. Maternal complications were infrequent and occurred at a similar rate in the non-FSH and FSH groups; there were no preterm deliveries before 32 weeks’ gestation.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The characteristics of the study population (relatively young, lean women with PCOS from Viet Nam) limit the external generalisability of the study findings, and the findings need to be replicated in other populations.

Wider implications of the findings

Hormone-free assisted reproductive technology (ART) for women with PCOS appears to be feasible when using CAPA-IVM, and does not result in any loss of clinical efficacy. Benefits of hormone-free ART would be a reduction in medical risk, lower cost, fewer monitoring requirements, and greater convenience and flexibility.

Trial registration number

NCT05600972