Efficacy Evaluation of Dingkundan in Treatment of Female Infertility： A Systematic Review Based on Randomized Controlled Trials / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

This study systematically evaluated the effectiveness and safety of Dingkundan combined with conventional western medicine in the treatment of female infertility. Four Chinese databases，three English databases， and two clinical trial registration platforms were retrieved from inception to April 2021. Two researchers independently carried out literature screening，data extraction，risk assessment of bias，and grading of evidence quality. RevMan 5.4.1 was used for data analysis. A total of 216 research articles were retrieved and 21 randomized controlled trials （RCTs） were included，involving 2 172 cases. The risks of bias in the included RCTs were high. As unraveled by Meta-analysis results， Dingkundan combined with western medicine for ovulation stimulation was superior to western medicine for ovulation stimulation alone in improving pregnancy rate and progesterone level ［relative risk（RR）pregnancy rate=1.67，95% confidence interval（CI）（1.44，1.93）；standardized mean difference （SMD）progesterone=1.21，95% CI（0.82，1.60）］. Dingkundan combined with western medicine for improving the endometrium was superior to western medicine for improving the endometrium alone in improving the pregnancy rate ［RRpregnancy rate=1.35，95% CI（1.23，1.48）］. Dingkundan combined with clomiphene was more effective than clomiphene alone in regulating endometrial thickness and reducing follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol levels ［MDendometrial thickness=3.34，95% CI（3.27，3.41）， MDfollicle-stimulating hormone=-0.42，95% CI（-0.65，-0.19）， MDestradiol=-4.33，95% CI （-8.18，-0.48）］. Dingkundan combined with letrozole was superior to letrozole alone in increasing the follicle-stimulating hormone level and reducing the estradiol level ［MD follicle-stimulating hormone=1.14，95% CI（0.49，1.78）， MDestradiol =-33.65，95% CI（-59.13，-8.17）］. The single-study results showed that Dingkundan combined with conventional western medicine had certain advantages in regulating endometrial thickness，reducing follicle-stimulating hormone，luteinizing hormone，and estradiol levels，and increasing progesterone levels. The Grading of Recommendations， Assessment， Development， and Evaluation（GRADE）system was used for the evaluation of outcome indicators. The results showed that the quality of the evidence was graded moderate or low. Based on the existing evidence，Dingkundan combined with western medicine for infertility treatment had certain advantages in increasing the pregnancy rate， improving endometrial thickness， regulating hormone levels， and reducing adverse reactions. However，affected by the quality of the included trials，the results may have limitations，and high-quality RCTs are needed for verification in the future.