Double measurements of serum HCG concentration and its ratio may predict IVF outcome
Received 27 April 2009; received in revised form 28 May 2009; accepted 3 December 2009. published online 08 March 2010.
Abstract
Serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) concentration is nearly always used to predict pregnancy but there is little data on the clinical utility of the ratio of HCG21/HCG14 combined with double measurement of serum HCG. A total of 1762 cycles were retrospectively analysed for serum HCG concentration and ratio of HCG21/HCG14 on days 14 and 21 after embryo transfer to determine whether the ratio combined with concentration is the optimal predictor of pregnancy. The medians of HCG concentration on days 14 and 21 combined with the ratio of HCG21/HCG14 were calculated for non-viable, viable and heterotopic pregnancies. HCG concentrations of 290IU/l on day 14 and 2970IU/l on day 21 were regarded as the cut-off values to predict viable pregnancy, and values of 630 and 12,000IU/l, respectively, were regarded as the cut-off values to predict multiple pregnancy. The ratio of HCG21/HCG14 in the viable pregnancy group was significantly higher than that in the non-viable pregnancy group (15.86 versus 5.27, P<0.0001). For heterotopic pregnancy, the ratio of HCG21/HCG14 was 11.93. It was concluded that HCG concentration on days 14 and 21 combined with the ratio of HCG21/HCG14 provides a useful predictor of pregnancy outcome. A ratio >15 may predict viable pregnancy.
Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.
Center of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd, Beijing 100191, China
Corresponding author.
Hongbin Chi received her MD in 2006 from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. She is an Associate Professor and works at the Medical Center for Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing. She has a particular interest in reproductive hormone testing for predicting the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology. She specializes in diagnoses and management of infertility and reproductive endocrine diseases.
ABSTRACT
Hongbin Chi received her MD in 2006 from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. She is an Associate Professor and works at the Medical Center for Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing. She has a particular interest in reproductive hormone testing for predicting the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology. She specializes in diagnoses and management of infertility and reproductive endocrine diseases.