Combined therapy of Chinese medicine with in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation for treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of Chinese drugs for reinforcing Shen and regulating Chong channel (RSRCC) on patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation (IVF-ET). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with PCOS undergoing IVF-ET were randomly assigned to two groups, the treated group (36 cases) and the control group (28 cases), to the former, Chinese recipe for RSRCC was given additionally. RESULTS: On the human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) injecting day, the percentage of three-line sign of endometrium (type A) in the treated group was 75.0% (27/36), which was higher than that in the control group (42.9%, 12/28), showing significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). The rates of mature oocytes, fertilization, high-qualified embryo rate, clinical pregnancy rate and incidence rate of ovary hyper-stimulating syndrome (OHSS) in the treated group were (76.8 +/- 8.2)%, (73.5 +/- 8.9)%, (89.4 +/- 14.4)%, 36.11% (13/36) and 5.56% (2/36), respectively; whereas those in the control group (64.4 +/- 8.7)%, (68.2 +/- 10.0)%, (79.5 +/- 15.2)%, 21.43% (6/28) and 10.71% (3/28); the dosage of gonadotrophin administered in the treated group was 33.8 +/- 12.5 ampoules, and in the control group 47.6 +/- 18.2 amp oules, statistical significance was shown between groups in comparing all the above-mentioned parameters (P <0.05, P <0.01). However, the number of oocytes obtained in the two groups was insignificantly different (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined use of Chinese drugs for RSRCC in IVF-ET can reduce the dosage of gonadotrophin administered and raise the clinical pregnant rate.