The aim of present study was to determine if the immunotherapy with prednisolone would improve the clinical pregnancy rate in infertile patients with ovulatory factor only and unexplained infertility who underwent superovulation with intrauterine
insemination(IUI). The infertile patients with ovulatory factor only were resistant to clomiphene citrate(CC) or had previously failed to conceive despite 3 ovulatory cycles using CC. From March to December 1994, 288 superovulation with IUI
cycles
were
evaluated. Fourty-five patients with ovulatory factor underwent 72 cycles of superovulation with IUI, receiving corticosteroids. Thirty-eight patents with unexplained infertility underwent 75 superovulation with IUI cycles, receiving
corticosteriods.
Fourty-six patients with ovulatory factor who underwent 66 cycles of superovulation with IUI and 40 patients with unexplained infertility who underwent 75 superovulation with IUI cycles served as controls, not receiving corticosteroids. In both
patient
groups with ovulatory factor and unexplained infertility, there were no significant differences between corticosteroid treatment group and control group in the clinical response to superovulation. In patient gorup with ovulatory factor, there
were
no
significant differences between corticosteroid treatment group and control group in clinical pregnancy rate(38.9% versus 33.3%) and abortion rate per clinical pregnancy(14.3% versus 13.6%). In patient group with unexplained infertility, there was
a
significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate per cycle in corticosteroid treatment group, with 45.3%(34/75) compared with 29.3%(22/75) in control group but no difference between corticosteroid treatment group and control group in abortion rate
per
clinical pregnancy(14.7% versus 13.6%). There were no side-effects due to the use of corticosteroids. This study suggests that immunotherapy with corticosteroids could improve the clinical pregnancy rate in infertile patients undergoing
superovulation
with IUI, especially in patients with unexplained infertility.
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