The Use of GnRH Agonist Trigger for Final Follicle Maturation in Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies

July 19, 2023 updated by: Johnny Awwad, American University of Beirut Medical Center

The Use of GnRH Agonist Trigger for Final Follicle Maturation in Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

This is a prospective comparative randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of two GnRH agonist trigger protocols on the ongoing pregnancy rate in hyper-responder women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Follicle maturation triggering is the final differentiation process of an immature egg before fertilization, either in normal or stimulated ovarian cycles in assisted reproductive techniques. This step has traditionally been accomplished by the administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger which mimics LH activity. However, hCG is a primary cause of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in women and appears to initiate the complex cascade that leads to the development of serious medical complications. Numerous strategies have been suggested to prevent OHSS; one of these is the administration of a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist trigger instead of hCG. Despite a high safety profile, the GnRH agonist trigger of follicle maturation was found to be associated with a decreased probability of clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates and very high miscarriage rates. A profoundly deficient luteal phase is believed to be the cause of compromised reproductive outcome. Our personal clinical practice at the AUBMC Fertility Center seems to indicate that a novel GnRH agonist administration protocol is associated with a comparable reproductive performance to standard hCG trigger. In this study, we aim to validate the above clinical impression and assess associated parameters of success. Therefore, a prospective comparative randomized controlled trial will be performed in order to investigate the effect of three repeated doses of GnRH agonist trigger "Triptorelin" accompanied by intensive Luteal Support on the ongoing pregnancy outcome in women who are hyper-responders to ovarian stimulation when undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

277

Phase

  • Phase 4

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

      • Beirut, Lebanon
        • American University of Beirut Medical Center

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Normal uterine cavity (as assessed by hysteroscopy or HSG).
  • Normal hormonal investigation: TSH, PRL.
  • More than 15 follicles (≥12 mm in diameter) on ultrasound, and/or estradiol level of > 3500 pg/ml on the day of trigger.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of three or more miscarriages.
  • History of three or more previous IVF failures.
  • Abnormal uterine cavity (Hysteroscopy or HSG).

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Repeated 3-dose GnRHa " Triptorelin"
Triptorelin pre-filled syringes (Gonapeptyl 0.1mg; Ferring GmbH, Germany) will be administered subcutaneously in three repeated doses 12 hours apart (0.3/0.2/0.2mg) when at least three follicles 18 mm in diameter have been observed by ultrasound examination.
Triptorelin pre-filled syringes (Gonapeptyl 0.1mg; Ferring GmbH, Germany) will be administered subcutaneously in three repeated doses 12 hours apart
Other Names:
  • Gonapeptyl
No Intervention: Conventional 1-dose GnRHa " Triptorelin"
Triptorelin pre-filled syringes will be administered subcutaneously in a single dose (0.3 mg) when at least three follicles 18 mm in diameter have been observed by ultrasound examination.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Ongoing pregnancy rate in hyper-responder women undergoing assisted reproductive technology cycles
Time Frame: 20 weeks from Last Menstrual Period (LMP)
20 weeks from Last Menstrual Period (LMP)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Oocyte collection rate
Time Frame: On the day of ovum pick-up
oocyte maturation rate ovarian volume on the day of hCG titer
On the day of ovum pick-up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Fertilization rate
Time Frame: 16-18 hours post insemination
16-18 hours post insemination
Total pregnancy rate
Time Frame: 10-12 days from embryo transfer
10-12 days from embryo transfer
Clinical pregnancy rate
Time Frame: 7 weeks from LMP
7 weeks from LMP
Implantation rate
Time Frame: 7 weeks from LMP
7 weeks from LMP
Miscarriage rate
Time Frame: From a positive pregnancy test till 20 weeks gestation
From a positive pregnancy test till 20 weeks gestation

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Johnny Awwad, MD, American University of Beirut Medical Center

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)

March 1, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 25, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 25, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

May 30, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 20, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 19, 2023

Last Verified

July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AmericanUBMCGNRH

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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