CONTROLLED OVARIAN HYPERSTIMULATION AND INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION FORTREATING MALE SUBFERTILITY - A CONTROLLED-STUDY

In this randomized crossover trial we investigated whether the use of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with low-dose human menopausal gon adotrophin in couples with male subfertility leads to a higher probabi lity of conception when intrauterine insemination (IUI) is applied. We also investigated whether the efficacy of IUI in natural or stimulate d cycles was related to the severity of male subfertility, Seventy-fou r couples completed 308 treatment cycles. Thirteen pregnancies occurre d after IUI in a natural cycle (pregnancy rate per completed cycle: 8. 4%) and 21 after IUI in a stimulated cycle (pregnancy rate per complet ed cycle: 13.7%), The difference between the two treatment modalities was not statistically significant, The efficacy of IUI in stimulated c ycles was related to the severity of the semen defect. In couples with a total motile sperm count <10X10(6), ovarian stimulation did not imp rove treatment outcome, while it did in couples with a total motile sp erm count greater than or equal to 10X10(6). Compared with the expecte d chance of conceiving spontaneously without treatment, both natural a nd stimulated cycles improved the probability of conception. We conclu de that, for the group as a whole, ovarian stimulation did not improve the probability of conception. However, in couples with less severe s emen defects, ovarian stimulation did improve the probability of conce ption.