Zeitschrift für Frauengesundheit
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Abstrakt

Comparison of the Effectiveness of 2.5mg versus 5mg Doses of Letrozole for Ovulation Induction in Infertile Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Non-Randomized Control Trial

Omoregie Irowa, Paulinus Abu, Hameed Mohammad, Vivian Nguyan Shaahu, Michael Adakole Obulu, Silas Ochejele, Franklin Emeke Osagie, Stephanie Erdoo Chenge

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) accounts for over 75% of anovulatory infertility. Letrozole is an effective alternative to clomiphene citrate as a first-line drug for ovulation induction in women with PCOS. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety profile of 2.5mg to 5mg daily oral doses of letrozole for ovulation induction in infertile women with PCOS.

Methods: The study was a nonrandomized control trial (NRCT). One hundred and ten eligible consenting infertile women with PCOS were consecutively assigned into two treatment groups. The intervention group received oral letrozole 2.5mg daily and the control group received oral letrozole 5mg daily, both groups starting from the 2nd day of menses for 5 days. Participants in both groups were followed up to determine the primary and secondary outcome measures. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 for windows (IBM Corporation). Continuous and categorical variables were analyzed using the student t-test, Chi-square test and Fisher's exact respectively. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: The Ovulation rate for the 2.5mg oral letrozole group and 5mg oral letrozole group were similar (96.4% Vs 92.7%). P=0.401. The number of matured follicles was significantly higher in the 5mg oral letrozole group (1.44±0.81) than 2.5mg oral letrozole group (1.07±0.37).

Conclusion: This study has shown that both 2.5mg and 5mg oral letrozole doses have equal effectiveness for ovulation induction. This study recommends the use of 2.5mg letrozole dose for initiation of ovulation induction.