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Benefit of Follicular Flushing During Oocyte Retrieval for Poor Responder Patient in an Assisted Reproductive Technology Program

Follicular Flushing for Poor Responder Patient in an Assisted Reproductive Technology Program: Flush Study

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01329302
Enrollment
257
Registered
2011-04-05
Start date
2011-03-31
Completion date
2016-06-30
Last updated
2025-12-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Infertility, Female, Ovarian Insufficiency

Brief summary

The object of this study is to determine the benefit of follicular flushing with a double channel needle in a poor responder population for a maximum number of oocytes to be retrieved. The investigators compare two methods of oocyte retrieval with or without flushing. 220 patients undergoing an in vitro fertilization (IVF) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) have to be included. All patients with less than 5 follicles of 14 mm and more the day of ovulation induction will be included, following a randomized protocol in two groups, Group A: Oocyte retrieval is performed with a single lumen aspiration needle 17G. Group B: Oocyte retrieval is performed with a double lumen aspiration needle 17G. all follicles are flushed with flushing solution in addition to direct aspiration of the follicular fluid, 20CC of flushing medium is provided for all the procedure and flushing medium is collected separately from direct fluid aspiration in order to follow up each oocyte one by one. First criterion of our comparison is the number of oocyte retrieved. Second criteria are: oocyte quality, fertilization rate, number and quality of embryos obtained, clinical pregnancy rate. In Group B the investigators will compare two subgroups: oocytes collected in flush medium and oocytes from direct follicle fluid. Then the investigators will know the capability of oocyte collected after follicular flushing to be fertilized and to increase the success chance of pregnancy for poor responder patients.

Interventions

PROCEDUREDirect aspiration needle Echo tip® Cook® single Lumen and Follicular flushing with double lumen needle Echo tip® Cook® Double Lumen Aspiration

In addition to direct aspiration of the follicular fluid all follicles are flushed with flushing solution, 20CC of flushing medium( Flushing Medium MediCultâ France) is provided for all the procedure and flushing medium is collected separately from direct fluid

Sponsors

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 43 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* patients undergoing an IVF or ICSI treatment * long agonist, antagonist or short stimulations protocols * less than 5 follicles of 14mm or more day of HCG * Major patients aged under 43 years * patient within a couple married or can prove a married life of over 2 years

Exclusion criteria

* all the cons indication to the oocyte retrieval * oocyte donor * Couple supported viral loop * Patient does not speak French or unable to give informed consent * Patients major protected * Patients with biopsy performed on weekends are also excluded due to unavailability of adequate personnel and equipment * Absence of follicles

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
the number of mature oocytes collected2 years and 9 monthsIncrease the number of mature oocytes collected during the follicular flushing with a double lumen aspiration needle
quality of embryos obtained2 years and 9 monthsEmbryo quality is assessed at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology by a score based on: cell number, cell regularity and degree of fragmentation.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of embryos obtained2 years and 9 months
Number of transferable embryos (transferred and frozen)2 years and 9 monthsBiologist at Day 3 chooses the best quality embryos for transfer and freeze the other if the quality is sufficient.
Number of pregnancies obtained2 years and 9 months

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026