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Premature luteinization (PL) refers to a rise in serum progesterone (P) levels on the day of hCG administration. Most studies used an absolute P level on the day of hCG administration as an indicator of PL, and the cutoff level differed from 0.8 to 2 ng/mL. Some authors defined PL as a P/E2 ratio of >1. There is a marked variation in the incidence (13% to 71%), of PL due to discrepancies in definition, population characteristics and/or treatment protocols. The pathogenesis of PL in COH is still poorly understood. Several hypotheses may be considered to explain this phenomenon: elevation of follicular LH levels, serum accumulation of HCG from HMG, increased LH receptor sensitivity of the granulosa cells to FSH, or poor ovarian response with increased LH sensitivity. The consequences of this premature elevation of serum P on IVF outcome remain controversial. Attempts to prevent COH include: use of Low-dose hCG alone in the late COH stages, flexible antagonist protocol, use of mifepristone, aspiration of a single leading follicle, hCG administration when the levels of serum P exceeded 1.0 ng/mL.

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Aromatase inhibitors are as effective as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in reducing adenomyoma volume and improving symptoms.

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The objective of this study was to test the use of letrozole in combination with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) vs clomiphene citrate (CC) with FSH for ovarian hyperstimulation prior to intrauterine insemination (IUI). A prospective randomised trial in which 280 women with unexplained infertility were randomised to 100 mg of CC (141 patients, 219 cycles) or 5 mg of letrozole daily (139 patients, 215 cycles) for 5 days starting on day 3 of menses both combined with gonadotropins for ovarian stimulation prior to IUI. The primary outcome measures were the number of growing and mature follicles, the concentrations of serum E2 (pg/ml) and progesterone (ng/ml), and the endometrial thickness (mm). The secondary outcome measure was the occurrence of pregnancy and miscarriage. The total number of follicles was significantly greater in the CC group (4.1 +/- 0.46 vs 2.6 +/- 0.43). There was no significant difference in endometrial thickness between the two groups. Pregnancy occurred in 33 out of 139 patients (215 cycles) in the letrozole group (23.7% and 15.3%, respectively) and 37 out of 141 patients (219 cycles) (26.2% and 16.8%, respectively) in the CC group; the differences were not statistically significant. The allied use of either CC or letrozole, during ovarian stimulation to reduce the dose of gonadotropins prior to IUI is justified. This approach will reduce the cost of stimulation protocols without effect on the treatment outcome and letrozole has no advantage over CC in this respect.

Objective: To compare metformin and combined oral contraceptive pill (COC) effects over 24 months in adolescent PCOS. Design: Randomized controlled study. Setting: Alexandria ICSI centre. Patients: 117 adolescent girls with PCOS, were randomized to: group A (n = 40): metformin, group B (n = 40): COC, and group C (n = 39): control. Interventions: Group A: received metformin, group B: received combined oral contraceptives. Main outcome measures: Improvement in cycle rhythm and hirsutism. Results: In group B a significant decline in serum testosterone reached the lowest value by the end of the second year (0.7 ± 0.2 versus 1.3 ± 0.5 lg/ml). By the end of the study, group A showed a significant decline in fasting (18.6 ± 3.0-10.0 ± 3.0 lIU/ml) and after-load insulin levels (126 ± 43-64 ± 15 lIU/ml) with a significant rise in glucose/insulin ratio (GIR) from 4.1 ± 0.3 to 4.6 ± 0.5. Group B showed a significant rise in fasting and after-load insulin (from 15.0 ± 3.0 lIU/ml and 103.0 ± 91.0 lIU/ml to 19.0 ± 4.0 and 187.0 ± 22.0 lIU/ml, respectively) and GIR dropped significantly from 4.4 ± 0.2 to 3.1 ± 0.3. Metformin was associated with a significant loss of weight from 87.0 ± 6.0 to 72.0 ± 0.5 kg while COC was associated with a non-significant gain in weight (from 84.0 ± 6.0 to 91.0 ± 9.0 kg). Conclusions: Metformin and COC have comparable therapeutic effectiveness on cycle regularity and hirsutism. Metformin was associated with a significant improvement in met-* Corresponding author at