Is there any Benefit in Adding LH Activity to the FSH Stimulation in Poor Responders?

The aim of this study is to evaluate if there is any benefit in adding LH activity to the ovarian stimulation regime in poor responders. It is a retrospective study where all the IVF/ICSI cycles with poor response in 2012-2013 were analysed. The primary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (CPR/ET) and live birth rate per embryo transfer (LBR/ET). The secondary outcomes were number of mature follicles, oocyte/follicle retrieval rate, endometrial thickness, failed fertilisation rate, implantation rate (IR). 9% of cycles in this period were deemed to have poor ovarian response. In 52 cycles, rFSH (group1), and in 25, hMG (group2) were used. There were no significant differences in mean age, AMH levels, sub fertility factors, and semen quality between the groups. There were no significant differences in the dose of FSH, duration of stimulation, protocols, number of mature follicles, endometrial thickness, oocyte retrieval rate/follicle and failed fertilisation rate between the groups. There were no significant differences in IR (19.5 versus 11.1, p=0.7), CPR/ET (14.6 versus 11.1, p=1), and LBR/ET (14.6 versus 0, p=016) between the 2 groups. We detected no significant differences in the primary or secondary outcomes with the use of rFSH or hMG in poor responders.