DOES INCREASING FREQUENCY OF INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION IMPROVE PREGNANCY RATES SIGNIFICANTLY DURING SUPEROVULATION CYCLES

Objective: To compare pregnancy rates (PR) per treatment cycle of cont rolled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) patients receiving a single IUI with COH patients receiving two IUIs. Design: A prospective randomized trial of consecutively treated patients attending our infertility cli nic for COH and IUI. Methods: Patients undergoing COH by hMG and hCG w ere randomized to receive either one (group A) or two (group B) IUIs. Randomization was performed using a random number table. Group A IUIs were timed 35 hours after ovulatory hCG, whereas group B IUIs were per formed 19 and 43 hours after hCG. Results: A total of 120 patients dur ing 169 cycles were randomized between group A (90 cycles) and group B (79 cycles). Data analysis demonstrated no significant differences be tween groups A and B with respect to age, indications for COH, duratio n of hMC treatment, total amount of hMG administered, peak E(2) levels , number of dominant follicles recruited, or mean number of total moti le sperm inseminated. Pregnancy rates for groups A and B were 0.11 and 0.14, respectively. The size of our study population permits a conclu sion that a 300%, 200%, or 100% difference in PR between the two group s does not exist (power 0.97, 0.80, or 0.61, respectively). Conclusion : Among patients undergoing COH and IUI, increasing the frequency of i nsemination does not provide a significant increase in cycle pregnancy rate.