Highly purified-hMG versus rFSH in ovarian hyperstimulation in women undergoing elective fertility preservation

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: To compare recombinant FSH (rFSH) with highly purified-human menopausal gonadotrophin (hp-hMG) on ovarian response in women undergoing elective fertility preservation (FP). Methods: This retrospective study included 456 women who underwent elective FP with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist or progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) protocols between 01/2017-12/2021. Three-hundred and forty-one women were stimulated with rFSH and 115 with hp-hMG, and the ovarian stimulation outcomes were compared between the two groups. A multivariate linear regression analysis assessed the impact of age, basal FSH level, antral follicle count, and protocol type on the ovarian stimulation outcomes. Results: Women in the rFSH group were significantly younger, and their antral follicle count was significantly higher than those in the hp-hMG group (35.50±2.12 vs. 35.99±2.13 years, P = 0.034 and 13.76±6.08 vs. 11.84±6.06, P = 0.002). There were no significant group differences in the amount (P = 0.645) and duration (P = 0.265) of FSH stimulation. The peak estradiol level was significantly lower for the rFSH group compared to the hp-hMG group (2547.18±1648.21 pg/mL vs. 3468.02±2497.69 pg/mL, P < 0.001), while peak progesterone level was significantly higher (1.33±0.75 ng/mL vs. 1.01±0.52 ng/mL, P = 0.001). The numbers of retrieved and MII oocytes were significantly higher for the rFSH group compared with the hp-hMG group (16.82±10.95 vs. 13.25±9.66, P = 0.02, and 13.22±9.13 vs. 9.76±7.11, P = 0.005), while the maturity rates were comparable (P = 0.103). Conclusion: rFSH was demonstrated to have superior oocyte yield compared to hp-hMG in ovarian hyperstimulation for women undergoing elective FP.