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200 active trials for Infertility

Optimization of Frozen Embryo Transfers by Studying Progesterone on the Day of Transfer

The number of embryo transfers after freezing has increased over the last 10 years due to improvements in embryo freezing techniques and in particular the development of vitrification. This has also been made possible by changes in clinical protocols favouring freezing in patients at high risk of hyperstimulation and by different methods of endometrial preparation to receive embryos after rewarming. In fact, embryo transfer requires endometrial preparation to make implantation possible. There are various protocols for endometrial preparation. Endometrial preparations in the natural cycle, with or without induction of ovulation by FSH, require more regular monitoring, and allow the development of a main follicle that will give a corpus luteum that will secrete progesterone in the luteal phase, which can be supported by the supply of exogenous progesterone. In contrast, endometrial preparations in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cycles are done by administering estradiol orally or transdermally to stimulate endometrial growth while blocking the patient's gonadotropic axis, and administering progesterone in the luteal phase to differentiate the endometrium. This preparation has the advantage of being simpler to monitor and organize. There is currently no consensus on a type of preparation that would give better results, and although the literature seems to show that there would be more miscarriages in a substituted cycle, there does not seem to be any difference in the birth rate per cycle in the end, whatever the type of endometrial preparation. Some teams have shown that in HRT, there appears to be more miscarriage when the progesterone level measured on the day of the frozen embryo transfer is lower, especially below a threshold of 9ng/mL. Labarta showed ESHRE in July 2019 that modifying the endometrial preparation if the progesterone level is below 9ng/mL on the day of transfer by adding subcutaneous progesterone (Progiron) resulted in a lower miscarriage rate, comparable to the usual miscarriage rates in spontaneous pregnancy. Thus, if the miscarriage rate is higher in HRT than in the natural cycle, and if this is related to "luteal insufficiency" characterized by a lower circulating serum progesterone level, the hypothesis of this study in the investigator's population would be that the serum progesterone level on the day of the frozen embryo transfer would be lower in HRT than in the spontaneous cycle.

Start: March 2020
Desogestrel Versus GnRH Antagonist in IVF/ICSI

Progestin primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) has been shown to be effective in avoiding premature spontaneous ovulation, without affecting the number of retrieved oocytes or the quality of the embryos obtained. The utilization of progestins permits lower costs, an easier administration (oral assumption instead of injections) and a tight control over LH levels. Hence the PPOS may be a valid alternative to the standard ovarian stimulation protocols. Additionally, it may be anticipated some degree of superiority of PPOS in particular categories of patients: donors, women at risk of OHSS, women who preserve their as well as poor responder or suboptimal responders for whom oocytes/embryo accumulation or double ovarian stimulation protocols are proposed The aim of this trial will be to investigate the use of Desogestrel in controlling the LH surge during ovarian stimulation in IVF/ICSI cycles. This study is a noninferiority trial in which the the primary efficacy endpoint will be the number of oocytes retrieved per patient. Sample size calculation was performed with the assumptions that the non-inferiority margin is corresponding to three or less oocytes . With the objective to demonstrate that the difference in average number of oocytes retrieved between the Desogestrel and the ganirelix groups would not exceed three, the power for a comparison between the two groups would be equal to 87% for 75 evaluable patients in each treatment groups (for an allocation of 1:1 and a total sample size of 150). To allocate at least 150 patients, an additional 10% to cover possible dropping out were planned to allocate. A total of 165 patients will be included in this study Patients will be assigned to either the study or the control group. The study group will be administered follitropin alfa (Bemfola 150-225 IU/die) and Desogestrel (Cerazette 75 mcg daily ) will be started on stimulation day 7 or when the leading follicle will reach 14 mm, whichever comes first. An antagonist protocol will be used for the control group. Patients will be administered follitropin alfa (Bemfola 150 - 225 IU/die) and Ganirelix (Orgalutran 0.25 mg/die) will be started on stimulation day 7 or when the leading follicle will reach 14 mm, whichever comes first. When a diameter of 18 mm is reached, the final stage of oocyte maturation will be triggered with triptorelin 0.2 mg + hCG 1000 U s.c. Fertilization of the aspirated oocytes will be carried out in vitro, by either conventional insemination or ICSI, depending on semen parameters. Viable embryos will be then frozen by means of vitrificaton on the day in which they will reach the blastocyst developmental stage.

Start: October 2020
The Effect of Fasting on ICSI Outcomes in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Design and protocol of PCO fasting research: This study is a pilot prospective, single-blinded (to the health assessor), randomized controlled trial conducted at the In Vitro Fertilization ( IVF) center of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kasr El-Ainy Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt, from October 2018 to September 2019, to determine the clinical effect of fasting on ICSI outcomes in PCOS patients. Ethical committee approval was obtained. The study will include 100 infertile patients with PCOS diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria of PCOS and who are candidates for ICSI cycle. Women with diabetes, thyroid disorder or other endocrine dysfunctions, uterine abnormalities were excluded. All patients are informed about the study and consent is given by those who accept to participate. Careful history taking include infertility type, duration , cause, obstetric history, medical and surgical history and demographic distribution is taken. Full physical examination and 2 dimensional (2D) transvaginal sonography (TVS) are done on day 2 to 5 of menses to assess antral follicle count, uterus and adnexa . Body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) are calculated, Blood samples are taken for Fasting insulin , fasting plasma glucose, Homeostatic model assessment (HOMA index), lipid profile and hormonal profile are done. All 100 participants will be randomized withdrawing closed envelopes for each patient into group A and group B . Group (A): patients will have periodic fasting for 4 weeks prior to the treatment cycle. The fasting method involves daily fasts of 14-16hours and restrict eating to an 8-10 hour "eating window" as 2-3 or more meals of balanced diet. Group (B): no fasting, patients will have usual balanced diet as 3 meals and 2 snacks all over the day. Both groups should take adequate water and non calorie beverages intake daily (2-3 liters) Subjects are instructed to wait for spontaneous menses, or to be prescribed progestins orally (as Norethisterone 5mg) twice daily for 21 days starting from the fifth day of menses. Patients should continue taking oral metformin 500-1000 mg daily, until confirmation of pregnancy. The next visit is scheduled on day 2 of next cycle when transvaginal ultrasound is done to confirm that endometrial thickness <5mm, no ovarian cyst by ultrasound. Body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) are calculated. Blood samples are taken for Fasting insulin , fasting plasma glucose, Homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) index, lipid profile ( Triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol, High density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low density Lipoprotein (LDL), free and total testosterone , Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), Free Androgen index (FAI), AntiMullerian Hormone (AMH), Basal Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Estradiol (E2),and then antagonist protocol is followed. Gonadotropins as Intramuscular (I.M.) injections of 150-300 (International units) I.U. of highly purified Human Menopausal Gonadotropins daily (Merional, 75 I.U. /vial, IBSA). and Urofollitropin or highly purified human follicle stimulating hormone(Fostimon®, 75 I.U. /vial, IBSA) are give in a ratio of 1:1.The dose is adjusted according to the age, BMI, Antral follicle count (AFC), serum levels of AMH, FSH and ovarian response. Fixed antagonist protocol is given and follow up until embryo transfer(ET). Quantitative ß- HCG in serum after is done after 14 days of embryo transfer.TVS is performed to detect clinical pregnancy at 6-7 weeks of gestation. Primary outcome is clinical pregnancy rate per cycle. Secondary outcomes include Body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR), fasting insulin , fasting plasma glucose, Homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) index, lipid profile and other ICSI outcomes.

Start: October 2018
Multi-center Study to Validate niPGT-A

Abnormal chromosome number, or aneuploidy, is common in human embryos. It is responsible for more than half of all miscarriages, and it is the leading cause of congenital birth defects. Besides, it has been described that aneuploidy may also affect embryo implantation. Therefore, selecting embryos that have the best chance of implanting and growing into a healthy baby is one of the most important steps in the field of assisted reproduction. Recent advances in genetic technologies, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), have allowed aneuploidy to be detected with greater sensitivity. The application of this technique to trophectoderm biopsies, taken from embryos before transfer to the uterus, has provided insight into the clinical impact of chromosomal status. This process of screening embryos to make sure they have the right number of chromosomes and to look for any structural abnormalities in the chromosomes is called Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A). It requires specific equipment and trained personnel that will add costs and risks, so non-invasive techniques are sought as an alternative. These non-invasive procedures has been explored by some groups analyzing the spent culture medium where the embryo is incubated up to the time of transfer or freezing. In daily routine, this media is discarded after finishing the embryo culture, but it has been reported that contains traces of embryonic cell-free DNA (cfDNA) that can represent the genetic load of the embryo. However, at the moment there is a high variability in results across studies, with a percentage of concordant results between the media and the trophectoderm biopsy ranging from 3.5 to 85.7%. Thus, the main objective of this project is to validate a new non-invasive method for PGT-A (niPGT-A), based on improved collection and analysis of the culture media to achieve higher rates of sensitivity and specificity and to decrease the effect of some intrinsic difficulties such as low embryonic cfDNA input, mosaicism and maternal contamination.

Start: April 2018