LOCAL SIDE-EFFECTS OF SUBCUTANEOUS AND INTRAMUSCULAR URINARY GONADOTROPINS FOR OVARIAN STIMULATION IN IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION - A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY

Objective: To compare the incidence and severity of local side effects of urinary-derived gonadatropins administered SC and IM. Design: Pros pective randomized study of women undergoing IVF treatment. Setting: T ertiary referral center for assisted reproduction. Patient(s): A total of 71 patients were randomized to receive gonadotropins by the SC (n = 41) or IM (n = 30) route. Intervention(s): One cycle of NF with gona dotropins administered either SC or IM for ovarian stimulation. Main O utcome Measure(s): Incidence and severity of local side effects, such as redness, itching, swelling, pain, and bruising. Result(s): Pain was the most common side effect, with 55.3% and 70.1% of ml and SC inject ions, respectively, resulting in pain. There a ere no statistically si gnificant differences in the incidence of itching or bruising after IM and SC injections. Although there was a higher incidence of redness a nd swelling in the SC group compared with the LM group, most cases wer e classified as mild.Conclusion(s): There was a significantly higher i ncidence of some local side effects after SC gonadotropin administrati on but most of these were mild and well tolerated by patients. (C) 199 8 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.