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Lu Y, Cherouveim P, Jiang V, Dimitriadis I, James KE, Bormann C, Souter I. The impact of clomiphene citrate on the endometrium in comparison to gonadotropins in intrauterine insemination cycles: is it thinner and does it matter? Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1414481. [PMID: 38978628 PMCID: PMC11228293 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1414481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To determine whether endometrial thickness (EMT) differs between i) clomiphene citrate (CC) and gonadotropin (Gn) utilizing patients as their own controls, and ii) patients who conceived with CC and those who did not. Furthermore, to investigate the association between late-follicular EMT and pregnancy outcomes, in CC and Gn cycles. Methods Retrospective study. Three sets of analyses were conducted separately for the purpose of this study. In analysis 1, we included all cycles from women who initially underwent CC/IUI (CC1, n=1252), followed by Gn/IUI (Gn1, n=1307), to compare EMT differences between CC/IUI and Gn/IUI, utilizing women as their own controls. In analysis 2, we included all CC/IUI cycles (CC2, n=686) from women who eventually conceived with CC during the same study period, to evaluate EMT differences between patients who conceived with CC (CC2) and those who did not (CC1). In analysis 3, pregnancy outcomes among different EMT quartiles were evaluated in CC/IUI and Gn/IUI cycles, separately, to investigate the potential association between EMT and pregnancy outcomes. Results In analysis 1, when CC1 was compared to Gn1 cycles, EMT was noted to be significantly thinner [Median (IQR): 6.8 (5.5-8.0) vs. 8.3 (7.0-10.0) mm, p<0.001]. Within-patient, CC1 compared to Gn1 EMT was on average 1.7mm thinner. Generalized linear mixed models, adjusted for confounders, revealed similar results (coefficient: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.52-1.85, CC1 as ref.). In analysis 2, CC1 was compared to CC2 EMT, the former being thinner both before [Median (IQR): 6.8 (5.5-8.0) vs. 7.2 (6.0-8.9) mm, p<0.001] and after adjustment (coefficient: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.34-0.85, CC1 as ref.). In analysis 3, clinical pregnancy rates (CPRs) and ongoing pregnancy rates (OPRs) improved as EMT quartiles increased (Q1 to Q4) among CC cycles (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively), while no such trend was observed among Gn cycles (p=0.94, p=0.68, respectively). Generalized estimating equations models, adjusted for confounders, suggested that EMT was positively associated with CPR and OPR in CC cycles, but not in Gn cycles. Conclusions Within-patient, CC generally resulted in thinner EMT compared to Gn. Thinner endometrium was associated with decreased OPR in CC cycles, while no such association was detected in Gn cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Lu
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Panagiotis Cherouveim
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Victoria Jiang
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Irene Dimitriadis
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kaitlyn E James
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Charles Bormann
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Irene Souter
- Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Nabhan A, Stringer E. Contemporary Issues in Women's Health. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2022; 158:239-240. [PMID: 35719095 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashraf Nabhan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Elizabeth Stringer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Li HQ, Pan XL, Su NJ, Lu XP, Chen JQ, Chen XW. Retrospective analysis: The application of human menopausal gonadotropin combined with letrozole for IUI in patients undergoing artificial insemination by husband due to unexplained or mild male factors. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1038433. [PMID: 36605946 PMCID: PMC9810010 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1038433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG) combined with letrozole (LE) to HMG only for ovarian stimulation on pregnancy outcome of infertile patients undergoing artificial insemination by husband (AIH) due to unexplained or mild male factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Infertile patients with unexplained or mild male factors treated from July 2015 to December 2021 were selected as subjects. The patients were divided into two groups according to the ovarian stimulation schemes they received, namely HMG combined with LE or HMG only. We analyzed the laboratory examination results before drug treatment (baseline) and during ovarian stimulation and compared the pregnancy outcomes of the two groups using univariable analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS In total, 526 cycles of 372 couples were included. The univariate analysis showed that the clinical pregnancy rate of the HMG combined with LE group was 24.8%, significantly higher than that of the HMG group (14.8%, P = 0.007). The live birth rate (19.9%) of the HMG combined with LE group were also significantly higher than those of the HMG group (11.2%, respectively). In multivariate logistic analysis, the age of males was negatively associated with the clinical pregnancy rate (OR 0.874, 95% CI 0.793~0.963, P=0.006) and live birth (OR0.875, 95% CI 0.783~0.977, P=0.018). Moreover, ovarian stimulation with HMG+LE was the only beneficial factor significantly associated with clinical pregnancy (OR 1.929, 95% CI 1.068~3.485, P=0.029) and live birth (OR 2.255, 95% CI 1.188~4.282, P=0.013). CONCLUSION Ovarian stimulation using HMG combined with LE can increase the clinical outcomes (live birth and clinical pregnancy) among infertile patients undergoing AIH due to explained or mild male factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-qing Li
- Department of Reproductive Center, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin-ling Pan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences Laboratory, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
| | - Nian-jun Su
- Department of Reproductive Health and Infertility, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi-ping Lu
- Department of Reproductive Center, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jun-qing Chen
- Department of Reproductive Center, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xu-wei Chen
- Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China
- *Correspondence: Xu-wei Chen,
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