Effect of danazol on the pregnancy rate in patients with unsuccessful in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of danazol on in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) patients who failed to conceive in previous attempts despite having embryos with optimal morphology, whether endometriosis is present or not.


METHODS
In this prospective, randomized, controlled study, of 81 patients who experienced unexplained failures of IVF-ET despite having good-morphology embryos, 40 received danazol (400 mg/d orally for 12 weeks) following the unsuccessful IVF-ET cycle. The next IVF-ET was performed within three months of the first spontaneous ovulation after danazol administration. The remaining 41 patients constituted the control group, and in them the next IVF-ET was performed within six months after the previous failed cycle.


RESULTS
Conception occurred in 16 of 40 (40%) danazol-treated patients at the subsequent cycle and showed a significant increase when compared with 8 of 41 (19.5%) control subjects (P < .05), though the number of embryos with optimal morphology decreased after danazol treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Danazol may be used for patients who have had repeated failures of IVF-ET despite having morphologically optimal embryos and may be useful for increasing receptivity of the endometrium in these patients.
Tei
C
C
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Miyazaki
T
T
Kuji
N
N
Tanaka
M
M
Sueoka
K
K
Yoshimura
Y
Y
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D003613:Danazol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure
D001323:Autoantibodies; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D003613:Danazol