Benefit of Follicular Flushing During Oocyte Retrieval for Poor Responder Patient in an Assisted Reproductive Technology Program

December 15, 2025 updated by: University Hospital, Strasbourg, France

Follicular Flushing for Poor Responder Patient in an Assisted Reproductive Technology Program: Flush Study

The object of this study is to determine the benefit of follicular flushing with a double channel needle in a poor responder population for a maximum number of oocytes to be retrieved. The investigators compare two methods of oocyte retrieval with or without flushing. 220 patients undergoing an in vitro fertilization (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) have to be included. All patients with less than 5 follicles of 14 mm and more the day of ovulation induction will be included, following a randomized protocol in two groups, Group A: Oocyte retrieval is performed with a single lumen aspiration needle 17G. Group B: Oocyte retrieval is performed with a double lumen aspiration needle 17G. all follicles are flushed with flushing solution in addition to direct aspiration of the follicular fluid, 20CC of flushing medium is provided for all the procedure and flushing medium is collected separately from direct fluid aspiration in order to follow up each oocyte one by one. First criterion of our comparison is the number of oocyte retrieved. Second criteria are: oocyte quality, fertilization rate, number and quality of embryos obtained, clinical pregnancy rate. In Group B the investigators will compare two subgroups: oocytes collected in flush medium and oocytes from direct follicle fluid. Then the investigators will know the capability of oocyte collected after follicular flushing to be fertilized and to increase the success chance of pregnancy for poor responder patients.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
257

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • France
    • Schiltigheim
      • Schiltigheim, Schiltigheim, France, 67300
        • Centre d'Assistance Médicale à la Procréation, CMCO-SIHCUS

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 43 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients undergoing an IVF or ICSI treatment
  • long agonist, antagonist or short stimulations protocols
  • less than 5 follicles of 14mm or more day of HCG
  • Major patients aged under 43 years
  • patient within a couple married or can prove a married life of over 2 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • all the cons indication to the oocyte retrieval
  • oocyte donor
  • Couple supported viral loop
  • Patient does not speak French or unable to give informed consent
  • Patients major protected
  • Patients with biopsy performed on weekends are also excluded due to unavailability of adequate personnel and equipment
  • Absence of follicles

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Group A: Direct aspiration
Procedure: Direct aspiration needle Echo tip® Cook® single Lumen and Follicular flushing with double lumen needle Echo tip® Cook® Double Lumen Aspiration
In addition to direct aspiration of the follicular fluid all follicles are flushed with flushing solution, 20CC of flushing medium( Flushing Medium MediCultâ France) is provided for all the procedure and flushing medium is collected separately from direct fluid
Active Comparator: Follicular Flushing
Procedure: Direct aspiration needle Echo tip® Cook® single Lumen and Follicular flushing with double lumen needle Echo tip® Cook® Double Lumen Aspiration
In addition to direct aspiration of the follicular fluid all follicles are flushed with flushing solution, 20CC of flushing medium( Flushing Medium MediCultâ France) is provided for all the procedure and flushing medium is collected separately from direct fluid

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the number of mature oocytes collected
Time Frame: 2 years and 9 months
Increase the number of mature oocytes collected during the follicular flushing with a double lumen aspiration needle
2 years and 9 months
quality of embryos obtained
Time Frame: 2 years and 9 months
Embryo quality is assessed at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology by a score based on: cell number, cell regularity and degree of fragmentation.
2 years and 9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of embryos obtained
Time Frame: 2 years and 9 months
2 years and 9 months
Number of transferable embryos (transferred and frozen)
Time Frame: 2 years and 9 months
Biologist at Day 3 chooses the best quality embryos for transfer and freeze the other if the quality is sufficient.
2 years and 9 months
Number of pregnancies obtained
Time Frame: 2 years and 9 months
2 years and 9 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Hospital, Strasbourg, France

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 22, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 1, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 5, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 16, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 15, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2010-A00589-30

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