Comparison of different methods for predicting customized drug dosage in superovulation stage of in-vitro fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is one of the highly pursued assisted reproductive technologies (ART) worldwide. The IVF procedure is divided into four stages: superovulation, egg-retrieval, insemination/fertilization and embryo transfer. Superovulation is the most crucial stage in IVF, since it involves injection of hormones externally to stimulate development and maturation of multiple oocytes. Although numerous advancements have been made in IVF procedures, little attention has been given to modifying the standard protocols based on a predictive model. In reality every patient responds differently and hence the proposition to modify the amounts of drug administered based on the patient's initial treatment response is a reasonable approach. A model for the follicular dynamics as a function of injected hormones and patient characteristics has been developed and validated. Using the model and optimal control theory, the optimal dose and frequency of medication customized for each patient is predicted. The problem is solved by different methods like the maximum principle and discretized non-linear programming.