Use of human menopausal gonadotropins in the treatment of endometrial defects associated with recurrent miscarriage: preliminary report.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that controlled ovarian stimulation by gonadotropins, which enhances estrogen priming, is of beneficial value in the treatment of endometrial defects associated with recurrent miscarriage.

Design: A retrospective, observational, nonrandomized study.

Setting: A regional recurrent miscarriage clinic in a teaching hospital.

Patient(s): Twenty-one subjects with otherwise unexplained recurrent miscarriage who had retarded endometrial development in the mid-luteal phase. Endometrial biopsies were timed by the luteinizing hormone surge.

Intervention(s): Controlled ovarian stimulation using human menopausal gonadotropins and repeat endometrial biopsy in the treatment cycle in 13 subjects.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Histological dating of endometrial biopsy in treatment cycles and miscarriage rate in treatment and nontreatment cycles.

Result(s): Eleven (85%) of the 13 biopsies in the treatment cycle were found to be normal. The miscarriage rate in the treatment group, 2 of 13, was significantly lower than that in the nontreatment group (7/12) (chi2 5.0, P<.05).

Conclusion(s): In this small series, preliminary experience suggests that controlled ovarian stimulation by human menopausal gonadotropins in the follicular phase is an effective treatment for luteal phase defect associated with recurrent pregnancy loss. There is now a case for a prospective, controlled study to confirm the value of such a treatment.