JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):25
Poster Presentation
29^th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263547

P-13. Are there differences in oocyte retrieval and maturation rates of oocytes between controlled ovarian stimulation protocols using Desogestrel or Ganirelix Acetate?

Kahisa Natiele Fontana¹, Débora Scaraboto¹, Anny Caroliny Andrade Looze Souza¹, Lidio Jair Ribas Centa¹, Rodrigo Santos Andrade¹

¹Androlab - Clínica da Fertilidade - Curitiba - PR - Brasil

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the success of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) cycles for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or oocyte cryopreservation using two different medications for suppression of premature LH surge: desogestrel versus ganirelix acetate.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients undergoing COS for IVF or oocyte cryopreservation at a private clinic in the South of Brazil. Inclusion criteria comprised protocols conducted between May 2024 and June 2025, involving 284 patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation cycles for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or oocyte cryopreservation. Two groups were analyzed: the first group consisted of 130 patients receiving desogestrel, while the second group included 154 patients receiving ganirelix acetate for suppression of premature LH surge. The primary outcomes were oocyte retrieval rate, maturation rate, and the number of mature oocytes obtained. Secondary outcomes included the number of days required for each stimulation protocol and the blastulation rate. Statistical analysis was performed using a Student's T-test, with a p-value of <0.05 considered as statistically significant.
Results: The analysis showed that the mean oocyte age was statistically different (p<0,05) between the groups, being 33.5 years for the ganirelix acetate group and 35.5 years for the desogestrel group. However, since both means were below the established clinical cut-off, this difference is not considered to have a relevant clinical impact. The oocyte retrieval rate showed a p-value of 0.8945, with the ganirelix acetate group having a retrieval rate of 77.9%, while the desogestrel group had 75.4%. The ganirelix acetate group had a blastulation rate of 66.5%, while the desogestrel group had 59.2%, with a p-value of 0.3866, indicating that the difference was not statistically significant. The difference between the number of oocytes per cycle is also not significant (p=0,72). The duration of the protocols was very similar for both groups, with 10.5 days for the ganirelix acetate group and 10.2 days for the desogestrel group, with a p-value of 0.2701, that is not significant. The maturation rate was 78.4% for the ganirelix acetate group and 72.8% for the desogestrel group, with a p-value of 0.0568, which is very close to the significance cutoff (p<0.05), but still cannot be considered significant.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that both desogestrel and ganirelix acetate are effective in suppressing premature LH surge during controlled ovarian stimulation, with comparable outcomes in terms of the duration of each stimulation protocol, oocyte retrieval and blastulation rates. The maturation rate showed a slight difference between the two protocols. The use of ganirelix acetate could be slightly more effective, resulting in a higher number of mature oocytes. Further studies are needed to explore long-term clinical outcomes.