Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jul;150(1):72-76.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13159. Epub 2020 May 7.

A randomized clinical trial of sildenafil plus clomiphene citrate to improve the success rate of ovulation induction in patients with unexplained infertility

Ahmed A Aboelroose  1 , Zakia M Ibrahim  1 , Elham H Madny  1 , Ahmed M Elmazzahy  1 , Omima T Taha  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A randomized clinical trial of sildenafil plus clomiphene citrate to improve the success rate of ovulation induction in patients with unexplained infertility

Ahmed A Aboelroose et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the role of sildenafil citrate in improving ovulation induction success rate in women with unexplained infertility.

Methods: A randomized clinical trial from January to December 2018 of 80 women with unexplained infertility randomized into two groups. Both groups received 100 mg clomiphene citrate once daily from days 3-7 of the menstrual cycle. The study group also received 25 mg oral sildenafil citrate twice daily from days 8-12 of the same cycle. Transvaginal ultrasound assessed ovulation, endometrial thickness, and number of follicles. Pregnancy was assessed 2 weeks after ovulation. Primary outcome measures were endometrial thickness, number of mature follicles, and pregnancy rates.

Results: Pregnancy rates (26 (65%) and 16 (40%), P=0.043) and endometrial thickness (10.4 ± 1.4 and 9.2 ± 1.9, P=0.007) were significantly higher in the study group. More women in the study group reported adverse effects compared with the control group (17 [42.5%] vs 9 [22.5%]; P=0.034), with headache the most common adverse effect in the study group, reported by 8 (20.0%) patients.

Conclusion: Adding sildenafil citrate improved ovulation success rate and increased pregnancy rate.

Pan african clinical trial registry: PACTR201907658492123.

Keywords: Clomiphene citrate; Infertility; Ovulation induction; Pregnancy; Randomized clinical trial; Sildenafil.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Zegers-Hochschild F, Adamson GD, Dyer S, et al. The international glossary on infertility and fertility care. Hum Reprod. 2017;32:1786-1801.
    1. Dickey RP, Brinsden PR, Pyrzak R. Manual of Intrauterine Insemination and Ovulation Induction, Chapter 8. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2010:80-92.
    1. Cohlen B, Van Santbrink E, Laven J. Ovulation Induction: Evidence Based Guidelines for Daily Practice, 1st edn. CRC Press; October; 2016.
    1. Gadipudi A, Dasari P. Tamoxifen for ovulation induction in infertile PCOS women who did not conceive with 3 or more cycles of clomiphene citrate: A prospective clinical study. Fertil Sci Res. 2017;4:22.
    1. Kumari R, Kumar N, Hazra S. Ocular side effects of sildenafil: A prospective study. Int J Sci Study. 2016;4:75-78.

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources