Research work carried out by Instituto Bernabeu has grabbed the attention of the ASRM Reproductive Medicine Congress

Instituto Bernabeu will present one of its lines of research work in North America. It will do so at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine Congress (ASRM) due to be held between 28^th October and 1^st November in San Antonio and the research consists of a clinical trial for improving patient comfort during assisted reproduction treatment. The research work focuses on the use of injected progesterone rather than vaginal administration in women undergoing treatment to receive frozen embryos or for egg donation. The lead researcher is the Co-Director of Instituto Bernabeu, Dr Ll. Aparicio, and he will present the work at the congress. It is entitled 'Subcutaneous progesterone is evaluated better by patients performing embryo transfer in substituted cycles, results of a randomized controlled trial'.

The clinical trial in which one hundred patients participated concludes that most prefer injected progesterone over vaginal administration. Progesterone is necessary for implantation and for the pregnancy to develop and it is taken over a period of three months.

The aim of the study is to understand efficiency and convenience in the courses of treatment undertaken by women on the egg donation programme and for the women who undergo frozen embryo transfer. Drugs can be administered either using a daily subcutaneous injection or by vaginal administration and, since use is prolonged, the aim of the study is to understand which option is the most convenient for women.

The research work was carried out at random in over one hundred patients who were given progesterone either in subcutaneous format or progesterone for vaginal administration. The result was that, following 10 weeks of treatment, subcutaneous injections were valued more favourably than the vaginal alternative.

"After studying 120 patients, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the percentage of children that were born. However, comfort was valued higher in the group of patients who were given daily subcutaneous injections compared with those who were prescribed vaginal administration", explains Dr Ll. Aparicio.

The research opens up the options for personalising the ways in which progesterone is administered. The aim is to improve patients' quality of life.

Subcutaneous progesterone is evaluated better by patients performing embryo transfer in substituted cycles. Results of a randomized controlled trial. J.Ll. Aparicio, E.M. Garcia-Hernandez, B. Moliner, L. Luque, R. Bernabeu, J. Ten. Oral Presentation.

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