<b>Study on Six Cases of Infertile Women with Clomiphene-Resistant </b><b>Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Successfully Treated </b><b>with Concomitant Saireito Therapy </b> / 日本東洋医学雑誌

ABSTRACT

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) occurs in 5 to 8% of females of reproductive age and is one of the leading causes of menstrual abnormalities and infertility. The treatment of PCOS varies, depending on the patient's age and background, particularly on the presence/absence of a desire to have children. In those desiring to have children, clomiphene therapy is the first-line treatment for PCOS. However, the anti-estrogen action of clomiphene may lead to a thinning of the endometrium and decreased cervical mucus production, while some patients show a poor response to the agent. In this study, saireito was administered to clomiphene-resistant PCOS patients, and the ovulation cycle improved in 6. Effective cases of saireito tended to have higher <i>oketsu </i>(blood stagnation) and <i>suitai </i>(water stagnation) statescores before treatment, also serum LH levels and LH/FSH ratios were lower due to the concurrent saireito medication. Furthermore, these effective cases had lower levels of serum testosterone than the non-effective and clomiphene-effective cases. This clinical report suggests the appropriateness of performing this therapy in accordance with <i>sho </i>(oriental patterns or symptoms), before second-line treatments such as gonadotropin therapy or laparoscopic surgery.