Basic understanding of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-agonist triggering

A single bolus of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at midcycle has been the gold standard for triggering final oocyte maturation and ovulation in assisted reproductive technology cycles. More recently, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-agonist (GnRH-a) triggering has been introduced. The GnRH-a trigger may allow a more physiologic surge of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone, although whether the combined surge will result in improved oocyte and embryo quality remains to be seen. However, the short duration of the LH surge with the GnRH-a trigger (approximately 34 hours) has been shown to be beneficial for preventing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in GnRH antagonist in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles when compared with the prolonged elevation of hCG (>= 6 days) after exposure to an hCG bolus. This review discusses the physiologic basis for the use of a GnRH-a trigger in IVF cycles. (C) 2015 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.