Pregnancy outcomes in oocyte donation recipients: vaginal gel versus intramuscular injection progesterone replacement

Abstract

Purpose: Compare outcomes with vaginal gel versus intramuscular progesterone replacement in donor oocyte recipients.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis (January 2004-December 2006) evaluated pregnancy outcomes (serum human chorionic gonadotropin, implantation, clinical pregnancy, delivery, total pregnancy loss rates) for 225 recipients of embryos from donor (aged <32 years) oocytes. Vaginal progesterone gel (Crinone® 8%; 90 mg twice daily; n = 105) or intramuscular progesterone (50 mg once daily; n = 120) was started the afternoon of oocyte retrieval and continued until a negative pregnancy test or 10 weeks' gestation.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences between groups for the five pregnancy outcomes; numerical results favored vaginal progesterone in all cases. Confidence intervals showed vaginal gel was within, or <1% from, a noninferiority limit of 10% versus intramuscular progesterone for four of five pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusions: Pregnancy outcomes were comparable for progesterone replacement with vaginal gel and intramuscular progesterone in an oocyte donation program.

Figures

Fig. 1

Pregnancy outcomes in recipients treated with vaginal progesterone gel versus intramuscular progesterone. (The total pregnancy loss rate is based on the number of patients with positive serum human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG], not the total number of patients in the treatment group)