The infertility treatment related with polycystic ovary syndrome / 대한산부인과학회지

ABSTRACT

The treatment of infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has not yet been established. Before any intervention is initiated, lifestyle modification with diet and exercise leading to weight loss should be emphasized in overweight women. The recommended first-line treatment for ovulation induction remains clomiphene citrate. If clomiphene citrate use fails to result in ovulation or pregnancy, the recommended second-line intervention is exogenous gonadotropins. The use of exogenous gonadotropins is related to an increased risk for multiple pregnancies, and, therefore, intense ovarian response monitoring is required. Laparoscopic ovarian surgery is an alternative to gonadotropin therapy because this surgery is as effective as gonadotropin in pregnancy rate or live birth rate. However, the surgery may require additional ovulation induction drug and should be performed by well-trained surgeon, its use solely to induce ovulation is unwarranted. Recommended third-line treatment is in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF reduces the risk of multiple pregnancies by using single-embryo transfer in women with PCOS. The use of metformin alone as first-line infertility therapy or in combination with clomiphene is surrounded by controversies. Aromatase inhibitors appear to be as effective as clomiphene citrate for induction of ovulation, but the drug is currently not approved for treatment of infertility. Further studies should demonstrate the efficacy and long term safety.