To systematically evaluate the effect of progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) inin vitro fertilization (IVF)/oocyte intracytoplasmic sperm injection–embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) in patients with poor ovarian response and to find an optimal ovulation induction protocol for such patients.

A literature search of PubMed, Medline, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Vip.com, CNKI, and the Wanfang database was conducted to find case–control studies of PPOS with medroxyprogesterone acetate and other traditional stimulation regimens for ovulation induction in patients with poor ovarian response. The period of time searched was from the database establishment to August 2020. Patients in the experimental group underwent PPOS and those in the control group underwent another program (e.g., the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol). RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.

A total of sixteen case–control studies (one of them is randomized controlled trial), with 4,422 induction cycles, were included. All the included patients met the 2011 Bologna diagnostic criteria for poor ovarian response. The numbers of mature eggs, available embryos, optimal embryos, and the rate of cumulative pregnancies in the PPOS group were all better than those in the control group ( ). There was a lower Serum luteinizing hormone on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injection and a lower rate of cycle cancellation in the PPOS group ( ). No other differences between PPOS and other treatments were statistically significant.

PPOS can reduce the need for cycle cancellation, improve the follicles and embryos, and improve the pregnancy rate and thus, can present an effective choice for IVF/ICSI-ET in patients with poor ovarian response.