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Abu-Zaid A, Gari A, Sabban H, Alshahrani MS, Khadawardi K, Badghish E, AlSghan R, Bukhari IA, Alyousef A, Abuzaid M, Alsharif SA, Alomar O, Alamery AH, Baradwan S. Comparison of Letrozole and Clomiphene Citrate in Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Reprod Sci 2024; 31:883-905. [PMID: 38030814 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01404-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Clomiphene citrate (CC) and letrozole are the predominant medical interventions for the management of infertility in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). To comprehensively summarize the evidence, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was carried out to assess the effect of letrozole and CC on pregnancy outcomes in PCOS patients. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to January 2023. We included RCTs conducted on PCOS women comparing letrozole to CC and assessing endometrial thickness, the number and size of follicles, and ovulation and pregnancy rates. The endpoints were summarized as risk ratio (RR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using the random-effects model. Heterogeneity was examined using the I2 statistic. Fifty trials met our inclusion criteria. The mean endometrial thickness was significantly higher in the letrozole group compared to CC group (SMD: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.49, 1.28; I2=97.72%); however, the number of follicles was higher in the CC group (SMD: -0.56; 95% CI: -0.96, -0.17; I2=96.34%). Furthermore, letrozole intake induced higher ovulation rate (RR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.26; I2=54.49%) and pregnancy rate (RR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.28, 1.62; I2=65.58%) compared to CC. Compared to CC, letrozole has a positive effect on endometrial thickness, monofollicular development, and ovulation and pregnancy rates suggesting that letrozole may be a strong alternative to CC as a first-line medical intervention for chronic anovulation in PCOS women. Larger studies are warranted to further clarify these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Abu-Zaid
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abdulrahim Gari
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Almurjan Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hussein Sabban
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine at Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majed Saeed Alshahrani
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Khadawardi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ehab Badghish
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rayan AlSghan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternity and Children Hospital, AlKharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibtihal Abdulaziz Bukhari
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Alyousef
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Abuzaid
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Muhayil General Hospital, Muhayil, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saud Abdullah Alsharif
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Osama Alomar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aliyah Hadi Alamery
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Specialized Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saeed Baradwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Palomba S, Carone D, Vitagliano A, Costanzi F, Fracassi A, Russo T, Del Negro S, Biello A, Di Filippo A, Mangiacasale A, Monaco A, Ranieri A, Ermini B, Barba BF, Castello C, Di Guardo F, Pastorella F, Bernasconi E, Tricarico EM, Filippi F, Polsinelli F, Monte GL, Sosa Fernandez LM, Galletta M, Giardina P, Totaro P, Laganara R, Liguori R, Buccheri M, Montanino Oliva M, Piscopo R, Iuliano A, Innantuoni N, Romanello I, Sinatra F, Liprino A, Thiella R, Tiezzi A, Bartolotti T, Tomasi A, Finocchiaro V, Thiella M, Fuggetta G, Messineo S, Isabella F, Tripodi M, Iaccarino S, La Sala GB, Papaleo E, Caserta D, Marci R, Somigliana E, Guglielmino A. Fertility specialists' views, behavior, and attitudes towards the use of endometrial scratching in Italy. BMC Womens Health 2023; 23:397. [PMID: 37516869 PMCID: PMC10386779 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02564-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endometrial scratching (ES) or injury is intentional damage to the endometrium performed to improve reproductive outcomes for infertile women desiring pregnancy. Moreover, recent systematic reviews with meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials demonstrated that ES is not effective, data on the safety are limited, and it should not be recommended in clinical practice. The aim of the current study was to assess the view and behavior towards ES among fertility specialists throughout infertility centers in Italy, and the relationship between these views and the attitudes towards the use of ES as an add-on in their commercial setting. METHODS Online survey among infertility centers, affiliated to Italian Society of Human Reproduction (SIRU), was performed using a detailed questionnaire including 45 questions with the possibility to give "closed" multi-choice answers for 41 items and "open" answers for 4 items. Online data from the websites of the infertility centers resulting in affiliation with the specialists were also recorded and analyzed. The quality of information about ES given on infertility centers websites was assessed using a scoring matrix including 10 specific questions (scored from 0 to 2 points), and the possible scores ranged from 0 to 13 points ('excellent' if the score was 9 points or more, 'moderate' if the score was between 5 and 8, and 'poor' if it was 4 points or less). RESULTS The response rate was of 60.6% (43 questionnaires / 71 infertility SIRU-affiliated centers). All included questionnaires were completed in their entirety. Most physicians (~ 70%) reported to offer ES to less than 10% of their patients. The procedure is mainly performed in the secretory phase (69.2%) using pipelle (61.5%), and usually in medical ambulatory (56.4%) before IVF cycles to improve implantation (71.8%) without drugs administration (e.g., pain drugs, antibiotics, anti-hemorrhagics, or others) before (76.8%) or after (64.1%) the procedure. Only a little proportion of infertility centers included in the analysis proposes formally the ES as an add-on procedure (9.3%), even if, when proposed, the full description of the indications, efficacy, safety, and costs is never addressed. However, the overall information quality of the websites was generally "poor" ranging from 3 to 8 and having a low total score (4.7 ± 1.6; mean ± standard deviation). CONCLUSIONS In Italy, ES is a procedure still performed among fertility specialists for improving the implantation rate in IVF patients. Moreover, they have a poor attitude in proposing ES as an add-on in the commercial setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Palomba
- Sant'Andrea Hospital, University "Sapienza" of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | - Flavia Costanzi
- Sant'Andrea Hospital, University "Sapienza" of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Tiziana Russo
- Grande Ospedale Metropolitano, Reggio Calabria, Italy
- Gatjc Fertility Center, Gioia Tauro, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Serena Del Negro
- Gatjc Fertility Center, Gioia Tauro, Reggio Calabria, Italy
- Presidio Ospedaliero Di Soverato "Basso Ionio", Soverato, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Beatrice Ermini
- Centro Italiano Di Procreazione Assistita - CIPA, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Claudio Castello
- Centro FIVET Città Di Torino, Casa Della Salute Valdese, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Di Guardo
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico "G. Rodolico - San Marco", Catania, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Francesca Filippi
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Grande - Ospedale Maggiore - University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Lo Monte
- Centro Di Medicina Della Riproduzione E Crioconservazione Dei Gameti, Ospedale Di Brunico, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Marco Galletta
- Centro Di Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita, Azienda Ospedaliera "Papardo", Messina, Italy
| | | | - Pasquale Totaro
- Centro Di Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita, Ospedale Santa Maria, Bari, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Assunta Iuliano
- UOC Di Ostetricia E Ginecologia, Azienda Ospedaliera "San Carlo", Potenza, Italy
| | | | - Irene Romanello
- SSD Di Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita, Azienza Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale, Sacile, Pordenone, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppa Fuggetta
- SSD Di Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita, Azienza Sanitaria Friuli Occidentale, Sacile, Pordenone, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Edgardo Somigliana
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Grande - Ospedale Maggiore - University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Stope MB, Mustea A, Sänger N, Einenkel R. Immune Cell Functionality during Decidualization and Potential Clinical Application. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13051097. [PMID: 37240742 DOI: 10.3390/life13051097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to a vast influx in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, leukocytes represent 40-50% of the decidua at the time of implantation. Their importance for the implantation, maintenance of pregnancy, and parturition are known yet not fully understood. Thus, in idiopathic infertility, decidual immune-related factors are speculated to be the cause. In this review, the immune cell functions in the decidua were summarized, and clinical diagnostics, as well as interventions, were discussed. There is a rising number of commercially available diagnostic tools. However, the intervention options are still limited and/or poorly studied. In order for us to make big steps towards the proper use of reproductive immunology findings, we need to understand the mechanisms and especially support translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias B Stope
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexander Mustea
- Department of Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicole Sänger
- Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Rebekka Einenkel
- Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
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