Elsevier

Fertility and Sterility

Volume 95, Issue 5, April 2011, Pages 1650-1654
Fertility and Sterility

In vitro fertilization
Effect of levothyroxine treatment on in vitro fertilization and pregnancy outcome in infertile women with subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.12.004Get rights and content
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Objective

To investigate whether levothyroxine (LT4) treatment has beneficial effects on IVF results and pregnancy outcome in infertile patients with subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design

Prospective, randomized trial.

Setting

University-affiliated infertility clinic.

Patient(s)

A total of 64 infertile patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, defined as an elevated serum TSH level associated with a normal free T4 level and without frank symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Intervention(s)

Patients were randomized into an LT4 treatment group or control group. For the LT4 treatment group, 50 μg LT4 was administered from the first day of controlled ovarian stimulation for IVF/ICSI.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Results of IVF and pregnancy outcome.

Result(s)

There were no differences in patient characteristics between the two groups. Total dose and days of recombinant human FSH used for controlled ovarian stimulation were also similar. The number of grade I or II embryos was significantly higher in the LT4 treatment group than in the control group. There was no significant difference in the clinical pregnancy rate per cycle between the two groups. However, the miscarriage rate was significantly lower in the LT4 treatment group than in the control group. Embryo implantation rate and live birth rate were significantly higher in the LT4 treatment group. In the control group, both thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody levels were significantly higher in the miscarried subgroup than in the delivered subgroup.

Conclusion(s)

LT4 treatment can improve embryo quality and pregnancy outcome in subclinical hypothyroid women undergoing IVF/ICSI.

Key Words

Levothyroxine
subclinical hypothyroidism
IVF
pregnancy

Cited by (0)

C-H.K. has nothing to disclose. J-W.A. has nothing to disclose. S.P.K. has nothing to disclose. S-H.K. has nothing to disclose. H-D.C. has nothing to disclose. B-M.K. has nothing to disclose.