Some early pregnancies are spontaneously lost due to insufficient secretion of the hormone progesterone by the corpus luteum of the ovary, a condition known as "luteal phase deficiency." Luteal phase deficiency is relatively rare in natural reproduction, but very common with assisted reproductive treatments that include ovarian stimulation. The researchers from the MAR&Gen clinic, led by Dr. Jan Tesarik, Dr. Carmen Mendoza and Dr . Raquel Mendoza Tesarik, analyzed this condition in depth and, throughout the years 2005-2020, developed methods for prevention and treatment of this cause of pregnancy loss.
Already in 2006 the group has published, in the journal Human Reproduction, its encouraging results with the administration of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist after embryo transfer in ICSI treatments. The same group has subsequently shown that each pregnancy after an assisted reproduction attempt has to be monitored frequently, in some women for up to several months, to detect and treat early symptoms of luteal phase deficiency and subsequent activation of the secretion of progesterone by the placenta. An article published by the group in 2020 in the journal Frontiers in Reproductive Health summarizes the guidelines for a personalized and effective management of pregnancy resulting from assisted reproduction.