The effects of growth hormone on clinical outcomes after frozen-thawed embryo transfer

Objective: To evaluate the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on clinical outcomes of frozen thawed embryo transfer (FET). Methods: A prospective study was conducted among 240 patients (aged <= 38years) who underwent FET cycles at a center in Hefei, China, between November 2011 and October 2012. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of visit order: those in group A received hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for endometrial preparation, those in group B received HRT plus simultaneous rhGH, and those in group C received rhGH on day 8 of HRT. Results: Ten cycles were cancelled; 230 FET cycles were analyzed (77 in group A, 77 in group B, 76 in group C). The rates of clinical pregnancy, embryo implantation, and live birth were significantly higher in group B than in group A, as were the serum levels of estradiol and insulin-like growth factor-1 (p <= 0.033 for all comparisons). Endometrial thickness and serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor were significantly higher in group B than in groups A and C, whereas pulsatility index, resistance index, and peak systolic velocity/end diastolic velocity of the uterine arcuate artery were significantly lower (p <= 0.017 for all comparisons). Conclusion: Simultaneous administration of rhGH with HRT could improve clinical outcomes after FET by increasing endometrial blood perfusion and expression of cytokines related to endometrial receptivity. (C) 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.