Poor ovarian response
(POR)—retrieval of 3 or fewer eggs, is a challenging issue in IVF. A
retrospective study included POR women who underwent 386 IVF cycles. The data
were classified in four groups according to women’s age (years) during the
treatment cycle: 1) 20 - 34 (n = 133), 2) 35 - 39 (n = 133), 3) 40 - 42 (n =
78), 4) 43 - 47 y (n = 42), and correlated with the characteristics of the
population. The clinical pregnancy rates for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were: 23.3%,
12%, 2.6%, 4.8%, respectively. It was found to be significantly higher (p <
0.001) comparing group 1 with group 3 patients. The “take home baby” rate was
much lower (p < 0.001) in group 3; there were no deliveries in group 4.
Delivery rates for groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were: 19.5%, 10.5%, 1.3% and 0%,
respectively. Intraabdominal adhesions were more common (p = 0.005) as the
cause of infertility in group 3 women compared to groups 2 and 1: 24.4%
compared with 9% and 9.8%, respectively. According to multivariate regression
analysis, the parameters that negatively reflect on the pregnancy rate in POR
women are intraabdominal adhesions, POR in the past, and increased age. We
suggest encouraging young POR patients to pursue IVF treatments since the “take
home baby” rates are reasonably good.