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IVF success in older women improved with early egg retrieval
Retrieving eggs from ovaries during the early stages of fertility treatment may improve in vitro fertilization rates in women aged 43 years and older, according to recent study findings.
“While larger studies with more patients are needed to confirm our results, we have a new insight into ovarian aging, and we hope this will help produce new strategies for improving pregnancy outcomes in older women,” Yanguang Wu, PhD, embryologist and associate scientist at The Center for Human Reproduction in New York, said in a press release.
Wu and colleagues from other institutions evaluated young egg donors (aged 21-29 years; n = 31), middle-age egg donors (aged 30-37 years; n = 64) and older infertile women (aged 43-47 years; n = 41) to determine the differences in reproductive tissue among them.
Progesterone to estradiol ratios were significantly higher in the older group compared with the other two groups, suggesting that the older group may be at higher risk for premature luteinization.
Compared with the youngest and middle-age groups, granulosa cells, responsible for enveloping and supporting the eggs inside the ovary, were significantly less likely to grow and multiply in the oldest group. Fewer cell receptors for follicle-stimulating hormone and more cell receptors for luteinizing hormone and progesterone were found among the oldest group. According to the researchers, the changes in hormone sensitivity reveal that granulosa cells in the oldest group were at a greater risk for triggering luteinization prematurely.
Researchers found that the effect of administering human chorionic gonadotropin when the follicle size was 16 mm instead of the normal 19 to 21 mm, the eggs were more likely to produce a higher number of quality embryos as well as have higher IVF success rates compared with later egg retrieval.
“We used to think that aging eggs were responsible for poor IVF success rates in older women, but here we show that it is more due to the aging of the egg’s environment,” Wu said. “The chances of reversing damage to an egg are practically zero, and so these findings are exciting because it’s much more hopeful to therapeutically target the egg’s supporting environment.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Wu reports no relevant financial disclosures. Two researchers report financial ties with Fertility Neutraceuticals LLC.