Pregnancy rate following luteal phase support in Iranian women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
BACKGROUND
To assess the efficacy of luteal phase support (LPS) using intravaginal progesterone (P) on pregnancy rate in Iranian women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) who used a combination for ovulation induction consisting of letrozole or clomi- phene citrate (CC) and human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG).


METHODS
This was a randomized clinical trial undertaken in a fertility clinic in Kashan, Isfahan Province, Iran. A total of 198 patients completed treatment and follow up. Base on chosen ovulation induction programs, they were divided into two following group: i. CC group (n=98) used a combination consisting of CC (100 mg×5 day) and HMG (150 IU×5 day) and ii. letrozole group (n=100) used a combination consisting of letrozole (5 mg×5 day) and HMG (150 IU×5 day). After human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration (5000 IU), the patients (n=122) who randomly re- ceived intravaginal P (Cyclogest, 400 mg daily) were included in LPS group, while the rest (n=123) were included in non-P cycles group. The outcome was the comparison of chemical pregnancy rate between the groups.


RESULTS
Our findings showed that LPS was associated with a 10% higher pregnancy rate than in non-P cycles, although this difference did not reach statistical significant (p=0.08). LPS improved pregnancy rate in both CC (4%) and letrozole (6%) groups. In addition, patients who used letrozole for ovulation induction along with intravaginal P showed higher pregnancy rates than CC group.


CONCLUSIONS
Administration of vaginal P for LPS may improve the pregnancy rate in women with PCOS using letrozole or CC in combination with HMG for ovulation induc- tion (Registration Number: IRCT201206072967N4).
Gametogenesis Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Fatemeh
F
Foroozanfard
Department of Occupational Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Hamidreza
H
Saberi
Department of Social Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Seyed Alireza
SA
Moraveji
Hormozgan Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandarabbas, Iran.
Fatemeh
F
Bazarganipour
Clomiphene; Letrozole; Luteal Phase; Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; Progesterone