An artificially induced follicle stimulating hormone surge at the time of human chorionic gonadotrophin administration in controlled ovarian stimulation cycles has no effect on cumulus expansion, fertilization rate, embryo quality and implantation rate.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Chorionic Gonadotropin.

In the spontaneous menstrual cycle, the mid-cycle gonadotrophin surge causes maturation of the cumulus-oocyte complex, mucification of cumulus cells and expansion of the cumulus oophorus, resumption of meiosis and maturation of the cytoplasm of the oocyte.

Whether this is an effect purely of luteinizing hormone (LH) or whether follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) also plays a role is unknown.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 12 volunteers taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, women only.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Chorionic Gonadotropin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the volunteers nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Chorionic Gonadotropin, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some volunteers received a placebo instead of Chorionic Gonadotropin, giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

Maturation of the cumulus-oocyte complex was quantified by measuring the expansion of the cumulus, by the fertilization rate and the implantation rate.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Chorionic Gonadotropin, Embryo Implantation, Fertilization in Vitro, Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Oocytes, Ovulation Induction and Pregnancy Outcome.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Chorionic Gonadotropin in 12 volunteers.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1997 (Human reproduction (Oxford, England)), a journal based in England.

More context: the related hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) library page, all human trials.