|
Pre-DHEA
|
Post-DHEA
|
p-value
|
---|
Cycle cancellations (%)
|
32.0
|
4.3
|
0.02
|
Number oocytes
|
3.4 ± 0.5
|
4.4 ± 0.5
|
<0.05
|
Fertilized oocytes (n)
|
1.4 ± 0.3
|
3.0 ± 0.5
|
<0.001
|
(%)
|
39
|
67
|
<0.001
|
Day 3 blastomeres
|
3.4 ± 0.4
|
4.7 ± 0.5
|
0.01
|
embryo grade
|
2.9 ± 0.1
|
3.4 ± 0.1
|
0.02
|
Cumulative embryoscore/oocytes
|
8.4 ± 1.5
|
16.1 ± 1.6
|
0.001
|
Number of transferred embryos
|
1.4 ± 0.2
|
2.4 ± 0.3
|
0.005
|
Normal day 3 embryos
|
1.2 ± 0.2
|
2.7 ± 0.4
|
0.001
|
- * 25 patients were evaluated in their respective IVF cycle outcomes pre- and post-DHEA. This study design potentially biases outcome against positive DHEA effects since patients who entered DHEA supplementation after a prior failed IVF cycle, quite obviously, reflected, in view of their prior IVF treatment failure, a negatively selected patient population. Pre- and post DHEA cycles occurred at ages 39 ± 0.8 and 40.4 ± 0.8 years, respectively, also mildly biasing the study against positive DHEA findings. Post-DHEA patients were on supplementation 17.6 ± 2.13 weeks by time of second IVF cycle. Data extracted from Barad and Gleicher [16].