In vitro fertilization cycles stimulated with follitropin delta result in similar embryo development and quality when compared with cycles stimulated with follitropin alfa or follitropin beta

Abstract: Objective To study the impact of follitropin delta for ovarian stimulation on embryo development and quality compared with follitropin alfa or beta in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University affiliated, hospital-based fertility clinic. Patient(s) A total of 403 IVF/ICSI cycles conducted from September 1, 2018 through December 31, 2019. Cycles were grouped based on stimulation with follitropin delta versus follitropin alfa or beta. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measures Embryo parameters, and clinical pregnancy and implantation rates. Results Ovarian stimulation using follitropin delta resulted in no statistically significant difference in day 3 embryo quality between the two groups (median 0.50 vs. 0.54 good quality embryos, P = 0.746; and median 0.25 vs. 0.20 intermediate quality embryos, P = 0.338). Although on initial analysis there was a lower proportion of good quality blastocysts in the follitropin delta group (0.11 vs. 0.22, P = 0.026), this difference was no longer present when cycles with day 3 post fertilization vitrification and transfer were excluded (0.26 vs. 0.33, P = 0.121). Clinical pregnancy rates and clinical implantation rates were the same between groups in fresh transfer cycles. Conclusions Stimulation with follitropin delta in IVF/ICSI cycles resulted in similar embryo development and pregnancy rates compared to stimulation with follitropin alfa or beta.