The midluteal decline in serum estradiol levels is drastic but not deleterious for implantation after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in patients with normal or high responses

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the peak E(2) level and its midluteal decline on IVF-ET outcome in a group of normal- and high-responding patients. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of IVF-ET data. SETTING: Tertiary-care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): A total of 100 patients aged 98% E(2) decline; however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION(S): Multifactorial analysis refutes the negative role of supraphysiologic levels of E(2) on the day of hCG administration or its dramatic decline at the midluteal phase on the success rate after embryo transfer. A possibly increased rate of early spontaneous abortion in the high-response group warrants further verification.