SMART Protocol vs Antagonist Protocol in IVF

Effect of the Addition of Letrozole in in Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Following a Prior Failed IVF Cycle With an Antagonist or Short Protocol Without Letrozole

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05677828

Enrollment

426

Registered

2023-01-10

Start date

2022-02-15

Completion date

2023-01-31

Last updated

2023-03-29

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

Conditions

Diminished Ovarian Reserve

Keywords

IVF, Fertility issues

Brief summary

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.

Detailed description

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

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

RETROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

20 Years to 42 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

for the SMART IVF protocol: * Women between the ages of 20 and 42 inclusively * Women proceeding with a SMART IVF protocol following an antagonist IVF protocol between 2010 and 2020 (study group) or women proceeding with an antagonist protocol following an antagonist IVF protocol between 2010 and 2020 (control group) * Delay of 1 year between both IVF cycle

Exclusion criteria

* Women undergoing fertility preservation * Oocyte donation IVF cycles * Diagnosed severe male factor requiring surgical sperm extraction (micro-tese or TESA)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Number of utilizable blastocysts obtained	approximately 20 days	Comparing 2 different IVF cycle protocols in terms of total dose of gonadotropins used

Countries

Canada

Outcome results