A study by Instituto Bernabeu reveals that the technique used by the laboratory to measure progesterone influences the treatment outcome

• Variations in the measurement of progesterone level on the day of transfer depending on the technique applied have been observed, which could influence the assisted reproduction treatment success.
• Each laboratory should perform an equivalence study of its technology with the reference technology for the cut-off point.

Is the technique used to measure serum progesterone on the transfer day relevant? Dr Ana María Fabregat, from Instituto Bernabeu Biotech, will give a lecture at the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF in Spanish) congress to answer this question.

Dr Fabregat will present the results of a study conducted by her team to evaluate the consistency and agreement between two different analytical techniques to quantify serum progesterone on the day of embryo transfer. “Previous studies have shown that there is a significant association between serum progesterone levels below 9.2 ng/ml on the day of embryo transfer and a 20% decrease in the evolutionary pregnancy rate,” explains Dr Fabregat. “This situation could be corrected by adjusting the progesterone dose,” she adds.

The aim of the study is to check whether the analytical technique used to measure serum progesterone influences the results obtained. “The results of the study highlight the importance of the technique used to measure progesterone,” says Dr Fabregat. “Significant differences in progesterone levels were observed depending on the analyser used in a given laboratory”.

These results have important clinical implications, as they “indicate that progesterone supplementation should be adjusted according to the technology used in the laboratory of the specialised centre where the assisted reproduction treatment is being performed,” explains Dr Fabregat. “Each laboratory should carry out an equivalence study of its technology with the reference technology for that cut-off point, in order to optimise and personalise the levels above which the patient should be supplemented”.