Follicular development and early luteal function of conception and non-conceptional cycles after human in-vitro fertilization: endocrine correlates.

Two-hundred patients, half of whom had on-going pregnancies, were examined in terms of follicular growth, urinary oestrogen and LH output, oocytes recovered and embryos replaced. The two groups were identical in all parameters measured except that urinary LH output was significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in non-pregnant patients on the two days prior to HCG administration. During the early to mid-luteal phase, plasma progesterone concentrations were related to the number of follicles aspirated at oocyte recovery, but the overall pattern of secretion was similar in both groups. It is concluded that monitoring urinary LH output, a non-invasive technique, may be of great value for assessing oocyte quality and predicting the outcome of in-vitro fertilization and embryo replacement.