CUMULATIVE PREGNANCY RATES IN COUPLES WITH ANOVULATORY INFERTILITY COMPARED WITH UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY IN AN OVULATION INDUCTION-PROGRAM

Using a retrospective analysis, we compared cumulative pregnancy rates , early pregnancy failure rates and multiple pregnancy rates in couple s with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) (n = 148), hypogonadotrophic or eugonadotrophic hypogonadism (n = 91) and unexplained infertility (n = 117), who were treated in an ovulation induction clinic between J anuary 1991 and December 1995. The women were treated,vith either huma n menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) or purified follicle stimulating horm one (FSH). The cumulative pregnancy rate (derived from life-table anal ysis) after four ovulatory treatment cycles was 70% in the PCOS group, 74% in the hypogonadism group and 38% in the unexplained infertility group, The cumulative pregnancy rate in the unexplained infertility gr oup was significantly lower than the other groups (P < 0.001) but ther e was no significant difference between PCOS and hypogonadism using th e log rank test. The early pregnancy failure rate was 25% in the PCOS group, 27% in the hypogonadism group and 26% in the unexplained infert ility group (chi(2) = 0.132, not significant), The multiple pregnancy rate was 20% in the PCOS group, 30% in the hypogonadism group and 17% in the unexplained infertility group (chi(2) = 2.105, not significant) , Treatment of anovulatory infertility using HMG or FSH is effective i rrespective of the cause, Couples with unexplained infertility are les s successfully treated using HMG: correction of unexplained infertilit y may involve more than simple correction of possible subtle ovulatory defects.