RESUMO
Background: Polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), a common endocrine disorder with multisystem affection, is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility. Our objective is to evaluate the effect of using clomiphene citrate (CC) plus N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) versus letrozole in ovulation induction in infertile patients with PCOD.Methods: Reproductive-aged infertile women either primary or secondary diagnosed as PCOD according to Rotterdam criteria, 2003 were considered for enrollment. Eligible women for were recruited and randomized (1:1) to receive either CC 100 mg plus NAC 600 mg (CC+NAC arm) or letrozole 5 mg (NCT03241472, clinicaltrials.gov). All medications were started from day 3 of the menstrual cycle for 5 days. The primary outcome was the ovulation rate in both groups. Secondary outcomes included the mid-cyclic endometrial thickness, ovarian hyperstimulation, and clinical pregnancy and miscarriage rates.Results: One hundred ten patients were enrolled and randomized to CC+NAC arm (n=55) or letrozole (n=55). The ovulation rate in patients in letrozole arm was significantly higher than CC+NAC arm (71.8% versus 53.2%, p=0.01). Additionally, endometrial thickness was higher in letrozole arm (mean±SD: 11.46±1.61 versus 9.0±1.13, p=0.031). However, no statistical significant difference with regarding the ovarian hyperstimulation rate (1.8% versus 3.6%, p=0.157), clinical pregnancy rate [3/19 patients (27.3%) versus 19/55 (34.5%), p=0.409] and miscarriage rate [4/15 patients (26.7%) versus 19/55 (15.8%), p=0.317] in CC+NAC versus letrozole groups respectively.Conclusions: Addition of NAC to CC in ovulation induction leads to comparable pregnancy rate as letrozole. However, letrozole produces high ovulation rate and the better mid-cyclic endometrial thickness.