Empty follicle syndrome due to human errors: its occurrence in an in-vitro fertilization programme

We report five cases in which no oocytes were retrieved after standard ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and in which it was found that mistakes had been made at the time of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration. In all five cases, oocyte retrieval was achieved after...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction (Oxford) 1998-10, Vol.13 (10), p.2703-2705
Main Authors: Quintans, C J, Donaldson, M J, Blanco, L A, Pasqualini, R S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Birth control
Chorionic Gonadotropin - administration & dosage
Chorionic Gonadotropin - adverse effects
Embryo Transfer
Female
Fertilization in Vitro - adverse effects
Fertilization in Vitro - methods
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Inhalation
Male
Medical sciences
Oocytes - cytology
Ovarian Follicle - cytology
Ovulation Induction - adverse effects
Ovulation Induction - methods
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome
Sterility. Assisted procreation
Syndrome
Time Factors
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Summary:We report five cases in which no oocytes were retrieved after standard ovarian stimulation for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and in which it was found that mistakes had been made at the time of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration. In all five cases, oocyte retrieval was achieved after injecting HCG, when necessary, and reprogramming aspiration 24-36 h later. A mean of 7+/-3.2 MII oocytes were recovered per patient and 3.2+/-0.8 embryos were transferred. Three clinical pregnancies were obtained, and four healthy infants were born. In our programme, these were the only cases of empty follicle syndrome (EFS) that appeared over a total of 1118 cycles, and were all explained by human error in the administration of HCG. Our experience shows that human error could be considered a significant factor in the aetiology of empty follicle syndrome, and that EFS may be in part avoided by taking simple preventive measures.
ISSN:0268-1161
1460-2350
DOI:10.1093/humrep/13.10.2703