USE OF FERTILITY DRUGS IN DENMARK 1973-1993 - AN ANALYSIS BASED ON SALE STATISTICS

Objectives. The increasing use of drugs for ovarian stimulation and th e possibility of long-term risks has actualized a quantitative assessm ent of the use of such therapy. The aim of the study was to analyze th e development in the sale of different types of drugs used for ovarian stimulation in Denmark during the last two decades. Material. Sale st atistics of clomiphene citrate, cyclophenile, human menopausal gonadot ropin (hMG), mare menopausal gonadotropin (mMG) and human chorionic go nadotropin (hCG) in Denmark 1973-1993. Methods. The number of defined daily doses (DDD) was calculated for each product group. On given assu mptions the number of cycles of different treatment regimens and the n umber of treated women was calculated. Results. The sale has increased almost exponentially throughout the last two decades: Clomiphene citr ate 11 fold, hMG 30 fold, and hCG 5 fold. Today, among women 15-44 yea rs old, the estimated incidence rate of women treated with clomiphene alone is about 2.7/1,000/year, and the incidence rate of women treated with clomiphene/hCG and hMG/hCG account for about 3.1/1,000/year and 1.9/1,000/year, respectively. Conclusion. Any study concerning short- and long-term effects of ovarian stimulation have to consider this sec ular trend.