Pre-IVF
GnRH agonists boost pregnancy rates for endometriosis
patients
A Cochrane review has found that endometriosis patients
who use gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists
in the run-up to IVF have improved outcomes.
In a systematic review of the existing literature, reviewers,
led by Professor Hassan Sallam, from Alexandria University
in Egypt, found that giving GnRH agonists to women with
endometriosis for 3-6 months before fertility treatment
increased their chances of becoming pregnant more than
four-fold.
"The chances of having a live birth are also increased,
though currently the data are not strong enough to show
how great that increase is," said Sallam.
Overall, the chances of pregnancy are lower for fertility
patients who have endometriosis than for those who have
problems with their fallopian tubes.
It has been thought that endometriosis may impair egg
development and prevent the ovaries producing viable
eggs, but Sallam says there are currently no data to
show whether the treatment leads to better eggs or whether
it facilitates implantation.
In addition, there are no results to show whether one
particular agonist is superior to the others, or whether
the effects of therapy differ in women with mild or
severe endometrial disease, the reviewers explain.
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