15 egg tally may be an oversimplification

Researchers at the Center for Human Reproduction (CHR) are worried that women may misunderstand the news that 15 eggs is the optimal harvest when retrieving eggs for IVF. They believe the news release from ESHRE which stated as much is an oversimplification of the facts. It may not be that the maximal birth rate is achieved when 15 to 20 oocytes are retrieved in an cycle.

“Assuming that patients receive reasonable ovarian stimulation for IVF,” explained Norbert Gleicher, MD, Medical Director of CHR in New York, “the number of retrieved eggs is only a reflection of the patients’ ovarian reserve.” This medical term describes a woman’s current level of ovarian function. For women who are over 40, they may never hit the 15 egg ideal marker. For women who have PCOS, they may produce many more.

So for those women who were able to retrieve 15-20 eggs, that only demonstrates that their ovaries were functioning at a high level. The anti-Muellerian hormone (AMH) can also be an indicator of maximum function. CHR argues that this may be a better indicator than a specific number of eggs.

“Technically, ovaries cannot be stimulated toward production of a specific number of eggs,” said David Barad, MD, Clinical Director of IVF at CHR. “If the number of eggs, instead of ovarian reserve, were the true determinant of live birth chances, we could simply stop retrieving eggs when we reach that specific number. This, however, would only increase risks to patients. Perfect oocyte numbers, therefore, cannot be acted upon.”

As always talk to your doctor about what is right for you. It seems even the experts aren’t in agreement.

Source: CHR, Medical News Today