[Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome after stimulation with highly purified hMGfor in vitro fertilization: Observational study SHOview].

OBJECTIVE: Data on the incidence and severity of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in France are limited.

METHODS: Prospective observational multicentric study (23 French centers of IVF) in a cohort of 421 women treated with highly purified hMG (HP-hMG) for the first or second cycle of IVF with or without ICSI. The primary objective was to assess the incidence of moderate to severe OHSS in this cohort.

RESULTS: At inclusion, 172 patients (40.9%) were considered at risk of OHSS by the physicians. The main measures for risk minimization taken by the physicians rested on initial dose of HP-hMG and protocol choice. At the end of the follow-up (4 months in average), the rate of OHSS moderate to severe was 2.4% (confidence interval 95%: 1.1-4.3%) for the studied IVF cycle. OHSS was severe for 3 women (0.7%) and moderate for 7 women (1.7%).

CONCLUSION: This rate of OHSS after IVF is at the lower limit of the rates reported in the literature for OHSS. This study brings reassuring epidemiological data on the rate of OHSS in women at risk. The measures taken by the physicians to minimize the risk of OHSS could have contributed to this low incidence.