title: The effect of nasal oxytocin on pregnancy rates following intrauterine insemination: double-blind, randomized, clinical pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that the application of intranasal oxytocin (8 IU) following intrauterine insemination (IUI) would increase pregnancy rates, without causing major side effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study: eighty-six couples with idiopathic infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome and/or male sub-fertility treated with 132 homologous IUI cycles with nasal application of placebo or 8 IU oxytocin following IUI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 132 IUI cycles of 86 women, 17 pregnancies were achieved, accounting for a pregnancy rate of 12.9% (17/132) per IUI cycle. The pregnancy rates were 13.4% (9/67) per IUI cycle in the placebo group, and 12.3% (8/65) per IUI cycle in the oxytocin group, the difference not being statistically significant. No relevant side effects were observed in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intranasal application of 8 IU oxytocin has no major side effects but at the same time did not affect pregnancy rates after IUI in our population. This study does not exclude that a larger patient group, a different time interval between oxytocin application and IUI, higher or multiple oxytocin applications or a different mode of application would have achieved different effects on pregnancy rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Campus Grosshadern, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany. Robert.Ochsenkuehn@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ochsenkühn
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pavlik
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: von Schönfeldt
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rogenhofer
authors.forename: Christian J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Thaler
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D007317:Insemination, Artificial, Homologous / Q000379:methods*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010120:Oxytocics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010120:Oxytocics; D010121:Oxytocin