Does ICSI affect early serum ß-HCG in pregnancies achieved after IVF?
This study was conducted to compare early serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) concentrations in singleton pregnancies achieved after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), with those achieved after conventional in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Early serum HCG, 14 16 days after embryo transfer, was analysed in 99 IVF pregnancies achieved after ICSI (group A), and compared to 105 conventional IVF pregnancies (group B). All women were treated at the IVF Unit, Lis Maternity Hospital. Records were studied retrospectively. The mean ± SE serum HCG concentration on day 14 after embryo transfer in group A was 190.5 ± 17.4 mIU/ml, compared to 195.7 ± 14.03 mIU/ml in group B. HCG concentration 14 days after embryo transfer in both groups A and B was higher in women with mechanical factor than in couples with male factor infertility or unexplained infertility (246 ± 31.4, 183.3 ± 16.4, 177.98 ± 14.3 mIU/ml respectively). On the 16th day after embryo transfer, the HCG concentration increased,
