The effect of laparoscopic ovarian drilling on pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome women with more than 2 in-vitro fertilization cycle failures: A pilot RCT

The effect of laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) before in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles on pregnancy outcomes is an unclear and challenging subject.

To evaluate the impact of LOD before IVF/ICSI cycles on controlled ovarian stimulation and pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women with a history of more than 2 IVF failures.

In this randomized clinical trial, women with PCOS diagnosis who referred to Arash Women's hospital, Tehran, Iran for IVF/ICSI cycle from August 2015-January 2018 were evaluated. Eligible participants were allocated into 2 groups randomly (n = 17/each group). The participants in the LOD group (intervention) were treated with laparoscopic couture, and after one month, they underwent IVF/ICSI cycles using the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol. The control group had no intervention. The oocyte and embryo qualities, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome rate, the rates of chemical and clinical pregnancy and early miscarriage, live birth, and pregnancy complications, were compared between groups.

Finally, 34 participants were evaluated. The controlled ovarian stimulation outcomes were similar between groups. The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome rate in the LOD group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.04). One case of spontaneous pregnancy was reported in the LOD group. No significant difference was observed between groups in clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth rates. The rates of pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, and preterm birth) were similar between groups.

Performing LOD before IVF/ICSI cycles did not improve the pregnancy outcomes in PCOS women, a clinical trial with a larger sample size is needed to prove these results.