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IVF and Egg Donation: Special Considerations

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Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

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Abstract

Women with primary ovarian insufficiency/premature ovarian failure (POI/POF) typically come to diagnosis only after their oocyte reserve has become critically low. In settings with very low ovarian reserve, obtaining adequate numbers of eggs through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is a special challenge. Fortunately, the young age at which women with POI/POF present is often a mitigating factor that allows for a somewhat better fertility prognosis than that of older women with similarly low ovarian reserve.

This chapter reviews the existing protocols that have been recommended for “poor responders” to stimulation and evaluates specific evidence for the effectiveness of these protocols for young women with POI/POF. Overall, there is a paucity of data suggesting that any one stimulation regimen offers a better prognosis for women with POI/POF. Adjuvant treatments such as estrogen priming, growth hormone, DHEA, and antioxidants such as coenzyme Q have also been recommended but are still within the realm of investigative treatments. In vitro maturation is an emerging technology that may allow for oocyte retrieval without the risk and cost of high-dose gonadotropin treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North Saint Clair, Suite 1845, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Deborah E. Ikhena MD

  2. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North Saint Clair, Suite 1845, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Jared C. Robins MD

Authors
  1. Deborah E. Ikhena MD
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  2. Jared C. Robins MD
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Correspondence to Deborah E. Ikhena MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA

    Nanette F. Santoro

  2. Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Amber R. Cooper

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Ikhena, D.E., Robins, J.C. (2016). IVF and Egg Donation: Special Considerations. In: Santoro, N., Cooper, A. (eds) Primary Ovarian Insufficiency. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22491-6_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22491-6_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22490-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22491-6

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