This retrospective study aims to assess the effect of adding letrozole in patients who have previously undergone an IVF cycle with either an antagonist or short protocol, with patients who have undergone a second cycle of IVF with an antagonist or short protocol without the addition of letrozole.
A limited number of studies suggest that the addition of letrozole to gonadotropins for IVF is associated with an increase in oocyte count, blastocyst count and implantation rate. These differences are presumed to be caused by an increase in intra-ovarian androgens associated with the addition of letrozole. In patients with reduced ovarian reserve or reduced oocyte quality in the previous cycle, supplementation with of letrozole has the potential to increase oocyte count or oocyte quality, thereby resulting in more transferable blastocysts. The antagonist stimulation protocol with the addition of letrozole is commonly referred to as the SMART protocol (Stimulation with Minimal Adverse effects, Retrieval and Transfer
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
426
Clinique Ovo
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Number of utilizable blastocysts obtained
Comparing 2 different IVF cycle protocols in terms of total dose of gonadotropins used
Time frame: approximately 20 days
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