The benefits of follicular flushing on the number of oocyte retrieved in poor responder IVF ICSI cycles : experience at King Hussein Medical Center

الملخص EN

Objectives: To evaluate whether follicular flushing would be beneficial in increasing the number of oocyte retrieved in poor responder patients.

Methods: This is a retrospective study at King Hussein Medical Center/Infertility unit over the years 2014-2015.

The inclusion criteria was based on Bologna ESHRE criteria .All cases had -at day of human chorionic gonadotrophin trigger- follicles number less than 7 and more than 2 were included.

The follicles mean diameter was more than 14mm.

Patients were divided into two groups.

The first group who underwent follicular flushing and the second group who had direct follicular aspiration without flushing.

The parameters which were followed were age, FSH level, number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieved, metaphase I and II oocytes, fertilization rate, number of embryo transferred, biochemical pregnancy and clinical pregnancy rate.

The data obtained were statistically analyzed.

Result: The total number of In vitro fertilization/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles in the years 2014-2015 was1238 and number of cases which were included according to our criteria was 52.

Group one who underwent follicular flushing were 24 cases and the second group were28 cases.

The analyzed data showed no statistically significant difference in age, FSH level, number of oocytes retrieved, metaphase I and II oocytes, fertilization rate, number of embryo transferred, biochemical pregnancy and clinical pregnancy rate between the two groups.

Conclusion: Our results showed that follicular flushing is not beneficial practice and we do not recommend it as a routine procedure in poor responders IVF cycles.

Despite our conclusion we suggest to expand this study for larger number of patients and in randomized controlled study