Clinical efficacy of the gonadotropin‐releasing hormone antagonist, ganirelix, in Korean women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer with recombinant follicle‐stimulating hormone

Abstract Aim: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of the gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist, ganirelix (Orgalutran), treatment in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF‐ET) in Korean women. Methods: This was a non‐comparative, open‐label, single‐center trial carried out on 31 infertile Korean women. A daily dose of 0.25 mg of the GnRH antagonist, ganirelix, was given, beginning on the sixth day of recombinant follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment. If the ovarian response was low, ganirelix treatment was delayed until the leading follicle reached a mean diameter of 14 mm. The ganirelix treatment was continued until the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection. Descriptive statistics were recorded for all parameters. Results: The median duration of ganirelix treatment was 4 days (range: 2–6 days) and the median total recombinant FSH dose was 1350 IU (900–2350 IU). During ganirelix treatment, the incidence of luteinizing hormone (LH) rises (LH = 10 IU/L) was 3.2% (one of 31 cases). On the day ovulation was triggered by hCG, the mean number of follicles ≥11 mm in diameter was 12.4 ± 4.5, and the median of serum estradiol concentration was 4289.9 (1893.7–8268.5) pmol/L. The mean number of oocytes per retrieval was 10.9 ± 6.1. The fertilization rate was 61.5%, and the mean number of replaced embryos was 2.8 ± 0.6. The mean implantation rate was 10.0%, and the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was 23.3% (seven of 30 cases) and the ongoing pregnancy rate per transfer was 20.0% (six of 30 cases). Conclusion: The results of the present study support ganirelix as a safe, short, convenient and effective treatment for patients undergoing COH for IVF in Korean women.