Usefulness of Newly Devised Clomiphene Citrate Administration Method Compared with the Conventional Method in Ovulation and Pregnancy

Objective: Since not all women wish to conceive a child through aggressive treatment, we investigated the usefulness of modified repeated intracyclic clomiphene citrate (CC) therapy (repeated CC therapy) as a newly devised administration method. Methods: We evaluated the effects of CC administration on menstrual cycle length and retrospectively compared ovulation and pregnancy in 220 women who received CC at our hospital. Patients in the conventional method group received 50 mg per day for five days, starting on the fifth day of menstruation (withdrawal bleeding). Groups with and without menstrual cycle shortening after conventional CC administration were compared. The repeated CC therapy group was also compared with the non-shortened group. Repeated CC therapy was administered for the first five days as in the conventional method, and a second five-day repeat treatment was administered after an interval of five to seven days. Pregnancy rates, including indirect pregnancies, were evaluated by three different methods. Results: Ovulation and pregnancy rates were significantly better in the shortened group than in the non-shortened group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.010, respectively). Even in the non-shortened group, ovulation and pregnancy rates including indirect pregnancies were significantly improved when ovulation was observed with repeated CC therapy (P < 0.001 and P = 0.022, respectively). Conclusions: For patients whose menstrual cycle was not improved or shortened, repeated CC therapy as the newly devised CC administration method is useful as the next step after the conventional CC administration method.