Luteal support

Luteal support is the administration of medication, generally progesterone, progestins, hCG or GnRH agonists, to increase the success rate of implantation and early embryogenesis, thereby complementing and/or supporting the function of the corpus luteum. Luteal support is the administration of medication, generally progesterone, progestins, hCG or GnRH agonists, to increase the success rate of implantation and early embryogenesis, thereby complementing and/or supporting the function of the corpus luteum. Progesterone appears to be the best method of providing luteal phase support, with a relatively higher live birth rate than placebo, and a lower risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) than hCG. Addition of other substances such as estrogen or hCG does not seem to improve outcomes. The live birth rate is significantly higher with progesterone for luteal support in IVF cycles with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Co-treatment with GnRH agonists further improves outcomes, by a live birth rate RD of +16% (95% confidence interval +10 to +22%). There is no evidence of any route of administration of progesterone or progestins being more beneficial than others. The main formulations of progesterone or progestins for luteal support are: