IVF Outcomes With Time-Lapse Culture: Comparison Between PPOS and GnRH Antagonist Protocols

February 12, 2026 updated by: Hanoi Medical University

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two ovarian stimulation protocols used in in vitro fertilization (IVF): the fixed Progestin-Primed Ovarian Stimulation (PPOS) protocol and the GnRH Antagonist protocol. The study will evaluate IVF outcomes and embryo development patterns using time-lapse embryo monitoring technology. The main questions the study aims to answer are:

  • Does the fixed - PPOS protocol achieve similar numbers of mature eggs, good-quality embryos, and clinical outcomes compared to the GnRH Antagonist protocol?
  • Are there differences in embryo development patterns (morphokinetics) between the two protocols when monitored by time-lapse imaging?
  • How does embryo quality (KIDScore) compare between the two protocols?

Study Design:

Researchers will randomly assign 148 women undergoing IVF to two groups:

  • PPOS group (n=74): Will receive FSH injections (oral Duphaston 20mg daily) starting from day 2-3 of the menstrual cycle
  • GnRH Antagonist group (n=74): Will receive FSH injections (Orgalutran 0.25mg injections) when follicles reach ≥14mm

Participants will:

  • Undergo controlled ovarian stimulation with their assigned protocol for approximately 10-12 days
  • Have regular ultrasound monitoring and blood tests to track follicle development
  • Undergo egg retrieval procedure when follicles are mature
  • Have all embryos cultured in the EmbryoScope time-lapse incubator with continuous monitoring
  • Have embryos frozen on Day 5/6 for future transfer

Study Location:

Department of Assisted Reproduction and Andrology, Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital

Study Duration: January 2026 - June 2028

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Estimated)

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.
148

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Vietnam
      • Hanoi, Vietnam, 100000
        • Recruiting
        • Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women aged 20-45 years
  • Indicated for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment
  • Planned freeze-all embryo strategy
  • Voluntary participation in research.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Systemic diseases
  • Use of hormonal medications within 3 months prior to enrollment
  • Oocyte donation cycles
  • Unwilling or unable to participate in research

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: 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.
Experimental: PPOS protocol
FSH + Dydrogesterone 20mg/day from day 2 - 3 of the menstrual cycle. Optional LH supplementation. Freeze-all with time-lapse monitoring.
Drug: Progestin-Primed Ovarian Stimulation
Ovarian stimulation using progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) protocol. Patients receive recombinant FSH starting from day 2-3 of menstrual cycle, concomitantly with oral Dydrogesterone 20mg daily to prevent premature LH surge. All embryos are cultured using time-lapse technology and cryopreserved for subsequent frozen embryo transfer.
Active Comparator: Antagonist protocol
FSH + Orgalutran 0.25 mg/day (starting when follicle ≥12 mm). Optional LH supplementation. Freeze-all with time-lapse monitoring.
Drug: Antagonist protocol for IVF
Ovarian stimulation using GnRH antagonist protocol. Patients receive recombinant FSH starting from day 2-3 of menstrual cycle. GnRH antagonist is added when leading follicle reaches 12-14mm diameter to prevent premature LH surge. All embryos are cultured using time-lapse technology and cryopreserved for subsequent frozen embryo transfer.

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
Blastocyst formation rate
Time Frame: Day 5 to Day 6 after oocyte retrieval
Number of high-quality blastocysts (grade ≥ 3BB) obtained per cycle
Day 5 to Day 6 after oocyte retrieval

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
Embryo morphokinetic development
Time Frame: Day 2 to day 5 after oocyte retrieval
Compare the embryomorphokinetic milestones evaluated using the time-lapse evaluation system (EmbryoScope+ Vitrolife).
Day 2 to day 5 after oocyte retrieval

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.
Hanoi Medical University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital

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.
January 21, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
October 1, 2028

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).
February 6, 2026

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.
February 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
February 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
February 13, 2026

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.
February 12, 2026

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.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • HMUIRB2275

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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