Exploring the effect of adding low dose human chorionic gonadotropin on oocyte maturation in women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A randomized control trial

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of adding low dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on oocyte maturity and hyper-stimulation syndrome in women undergoing Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Methods: In a randomaized clinical trail, 150 eligible patients undergoing a long GnRH agonist protocol were randomly divided into three groups of 50 women. The women in the first group received recombinant FSH alone (rFSH). The women in the second group received rFSH by 100 IU hCG daily. All participants in the three groups received rFSH by 200 IU hCG daily. The mean numbers of mature oocytes retrieved (MII oocytes) for normal responders as the primary outcome, and the occurrence ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) as the secondary outcome were measured for each group. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: There was no significant difference in the comparison of the incidence of mature oocytes formation among the three groups. The number of OHSS was significantly lower in third group compared with those of the other groups (6% vs 14% and 18%, respectively; P = 0.03). Conclusion: The addition of 200 hCG to recFSH throughout the stimulation in a long GnRH agonist protocol only benefited a lower number of OHSS.