Subcutaneously administered Repronex* in female patients undergoing in vitro fertilization is as effective and well tolerated as intramuscular menotropin treatment

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of Repronex SC as compared with Repronex IM and Pergonal IM in patients undergoing IM. Design: Open-label, randomized, parallel-group, multicenter study. Setting: Fifteen academic and private fertility clinics with IVF experience . Patient(s): Premenopausal women with regular ovulatory menstrual cycles und ergoing IVF for infertility attributable to tubal factors, endometriosis (s tage I or II), or unknown factors. Intervention(s): Down-regulation with leuprolide acetate followed by up to 12 days of treatments with gonadotropins, hCG administration, oocyte retrie val, and embryo transplant. Main Outcome Measure(s): Mean number of oocytes retrieved, chemical, clinic al, and continuing pregnancies, incidence of oocyte retrieval and embryo tr ansfer, and peak serum E-2 concentrations. Result(s): There were no significant differences among the treatment groups except for a higher percentage of continuing pregnancies in the Repronex S C group. Gonadotropin therapy was well tolerated in all three treatment gro ups. The Repronex SC group had a significantly higher incidence of transien t mild/moderate injection site reactions during the first few days of thera py. Conclusion(s): Repronex SC is comparable in therapeutic effectiveness and s afety to Repronex IM and Pergonal IM in patients undergoing IVF and provide s an alternative route of injection for self-administration of gonadotropin . (Fertil Steril(R) 2000;74:73-9. (C) 2000 by American Society for Reproduc tive Medicine).