Treatment versus no treatment of transient hyperprolactinemia in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection programs

Abstract

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of increased plasma prolactin levels on oocyte and fertilization rate in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. We identificated 135 patients with transient or borderline hyperprolactinemia, measured in the mid and late follicular phase and in the mid-luteal phase of the cycle before ovarian stimulation. The patients were assigned to either the no treatment group (76 patients) or the treatment group (59 patients). The treated group underwent treatment with cabergoline or bromocriptine before ovarian stimulation, until there was a decrease of plasma prolactin levels, and the therapy was continued also during the ICSI programme. Both groups received a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist and were subsequently stimulated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) up to the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration.

The untreated group needed a significantly lower number of FSH ampoules than the treated group to reach the day of hCG administration (38.1 ± 18.2 versus 43.9 ± 28.5; p < 0.05).

No correlation was found between the two groups on the peak estradiol level achieved, the progesterone level at hCG administration and the numbers of oocytes retrieved. The number of oocytes with superior morphology (87.9% versus 80.4%; p < 0.05), the fertilization rate (70.8 ± 28.0 versus 60.8 ± 28.5; p < 0.03), and the mean number of embryos transferred (3.6 ± 1.6 versus 3.2 ± 1.5; p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the patients whose hyperprolactinemia was left untreated.

In conclusion, we found that transient hyperprolactinemia is positively associated with ICSI outcome, in particularly with oocyte quality and fertilization rate.

Key Words:

• Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
• Hyperprolactinemia
• Cabergoline
• Bromocriptine