Does high serum progesterone level on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration affect pregnancy rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer?

OBJECTIVE The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of serum progesterone (P) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration on embryo quality and pregnancy rate in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. DESIGN AND SETTING This was a retrospective analysis conducted in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) unit of a tertiary hospital. PATIENTS Two hundred and one patients who underwent a total of 280 IVF treatment cycles allocated to ICSI during routine IVF/embryo transfer treatment. Results. In cycles with elevated serum P, higher estradiol levels were noted (1915 pg/ml vs. 1256 pg/ml; p<0.05), more oocytes were retrieved and manipulated, and more embryos were available for transfer. Embryo grading was comparable between the two groups. The average age was lower in the group with elevated P; but the pregnancy rate was significantly lower (16.4% vs. 27.6%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate no deleterious effect of elevated P on embryo quality. However, high serum P adversely affects implantation and pregnancy rates.