[Risks and benefits of gonadotrophin therapy for infertile patients with ovulatory cycles].

In an attempt to evaluate the risks and benefits of human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG) therapy for patients with unexplained infertility, the response and outcome of hMG therapy for anovulatory patients and ovulatory patients with unexplained infertility were analyzed in a group of successful cases of pregnancy. The number of follicles grown and the total doses of hMG were not significantly different in the two groups. The rate of spontaneous abortion in unexplained cases was twice as high (13.2%) as in anovulatory cases. However, the rate of multiple pregnancy was 8.8% for unexplained cases which was significantly lower than that for anovulatory cases (39.0%). In addition, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurred in 11.8% of unexplained cases and that was much lower than that for anovulatory cases (25.8%). This study justifies the application of gonadotrophin therapy to ovulatory patients with unexplained infertility in terms of the risks and benefits of the therapy in achieving pregnancy.