In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at Michigan State University are studying ovarian stimulation protocols in cattle and in vitro fertilization in humans simultaneously. The team found the standard practice of using high levels of hormones to stimulate ovaries is linked to negative outcomes in live birth rates in women and disruptions to ovarian genes in cattle.

The work is a result of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.

The goal of using follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, is to retrieve as many eggs as possible for an IVF cycle in humans or cattle by stimulating the ovarian follicles to mature. The researchers discovered high doses of FSH may not be necessary and may instead disrupt ovarian function and egg quality.