Does Serum LH Level Influence IVF Outcomes in Women with PCOS Undergoing GnRH-Antagonist Stimulation: A Novel Indicator

Abstract

Objective: To explore the influence of LH levels on the IVF/ICSI outcomes in women with PCOSundergoing GnRH-antagonist stimulation protocol. Methods: A total of 142 IVF/ICSI patients in which the females were diagnosed with PCOS and underwent GnRH-antagonist protocol for ovarian stimulation were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups based on basal LH (bLH) level, LH level on trigger day (hLH), and the ratio of hLH/bLH. The LH levels detected on different days in the stimulation cycle as well as their relationships with the IVF/ICSI outcomes were investigated. The main outcomes we observed were the number of oocytes retrieved, the cumulative chemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate. Other factors included the number of normally fertilized oocytes (2PN), top-quality embryo rate, and total Gn dose. Results: There was no significant difference in the included outcomes and baseline characteristics among different groups based on bLH levels. When patients were grouped according to hLH levels (≤2 mIU/mL, 2–5 mIU/mL and ≥5 mIU/mL), we found decreased levels of basal FSH and LH in the group of hLH ≤ 2 mIU/mL than the other two groups. Then the ratio of hLH/bLH was calculated for each patient. Patients with hLH/bLH ≥ 1 had a higher top-quality embryo rate than those with hLH/bLH between 0.5 and 1.0. Nevertheless, the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the hLH/bLH ≤ 0.5 group than in the other two groups. Conclusions: The study proposed the hLH/bLH ratio as a potential in predicting the influence of LH level on the embryo development potential as well as pregnancy outcomes in women with PCOS undergoing GnRH-antagonist stimulation cycles.