Intra-ovarian platelet-rich plasma administration plus successive accumulated embryo transfer could be a promising strategy for poor ovarian response management: a before-after study.

Background: The management of poor responders is a significant challenge for both patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-ovarian injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) combined with successive accumulated embryo transfer in improving the outcomes of patients with Poor Ovarian Response(POR) based on POSEIDON criteria.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective before-after study was conducted at a private reproductive center, involving 49 women diagnosed with POR, indicated by an AMH level of less than 1.2 ng/ml. The participants, comprising 13 group 3 and 36 group 4 POR patients, underwent intra-ovarian injections of PRP followed by the accumulation of embryos over three successive cycles of mild stimulation IVF/ICSI from May 2021 to May 2022, before proceeding to the embryo transfer phase. The ovarian reserve markers, oocyte and embryologic outcomes were compared in all patients before and after intra-ovarian injection of PRP. The cumulative clinical pregnancy and cumulative live birth outcomes were presented. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. A p-value < 0.05 denoted statistical significance.

Result(s): The mean age of all participants was 37.67 ± 4.15 years and their mean body mass index was 21.52 ± 2.80 kg/m². Autologous intraovarian PRP therapy significantly increased AMH levels, AFC and decreased FSH levels. Autologous intraovarian PRP therapy accompanied with 3 successive cumulated cycles, significantly increased No. of accumulated embryos and blastocysts. This strategy also significantly reduced the rate of cancelled cycle. Following this strategy, of 44 cases with accumulated embryos/blastocysts transfer, 20 (45.45%) achieved clinical pregnancy, of which 15 (34.09%) resulted in live births and 5 (11.36%) ended in miscarriage.

Conclusion(s): Intra-ovarian injection of PRP plus successive embryo accumulation following mild stimulation and accumulated embryo transfer appears to be an optimal strategy for POR management.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.