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Background and aims: Endometrial thickness (ET) is one of the main parameters in the success of assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods, which is influenced by sex steroids. This study investigated the effect of vaginal estrogen cream on ET in women undergoing embryo transfer. Methods: In this clinical trial, 100 infertile women candidates for embryo-fetal transfusion were enrolled in the study by a simple sampling method and then randomly divided into two treatment groups. For patients in group A, estradiol tablets were administered alone (control) and group B received the estradiol plus vaginal estrogen cream (intervention). The thickness of the endometrium was measured by ultrasound in both groups and recorded in the checklist. The rate of positive bHCG, pregnancy, and canceled cycles was evaluated in both groups as well. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Both groups were matched in terms of age (P = 0.129). There was no significant difference between the groups regarding ET (P = 0.651) and bHCG frequency (P = 0.418) and the pregnancy rate was similar in two groups. Based on the results, the frequency of the canceled cycles was 32% and 50% in intervention and control groups (P = 0.031).Eventually, no significant relationship was observed between pregnancy outcome (0.637) and the bHCG (0.553) test with ET. Conclusion: Overall, the administration of vaginal estrogen cream has no effect on ET and pregnancy rate in women under embryo transfer by applying the long protocol method in patients who referred to endometrium and endometriosis research center but it significantly reduces the eliminated cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infertility is one of the common medical issues in today's world. One of the common causes of infertility is the lack of implantation of the embryo. Aim: To compare the effect of Ethinyl Estradiol (E2) alone on Endometrial Thickness (ET) with that of sildenafil citrate and E2 combination. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 70 infertile women undergoing treatment with Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) were randomly divided into two groups of 35 each. One group received E2 and vaginal sildenafil and the other E2 alone. On the seventh day of the cycle and, if necessary, until ET reached 8 mm, ET in both groups was measured by transvaginal ultrasound. After the embryo transfer, Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (BHCG) was performed in both groups. The measured thickness of uterus and BHCG were recorded in the checklist for both groups. Data were analysed by SPSS and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean duration (in days) to reach an 8 mm ET in infertile women in the E2+sildenafil group (13.59±3.07) was lower than that in the E2 group (14.88±4.78), yet insignificant (p=0.21). Although the mean dose (mg) of E2 and duration (day) to reach an 8 mm ET in the E2+sildenafil group was lower than those in the E2 group, significance (p) levels were 0.02 and 0.21, respectively. Conclusion: In infertile women undergoing ARTs, coadministration of sildenafil citrate and E2 increased ET relatively and reduced the dose of E2 and the duration of its administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the embryonic hormone and one of the most important factors for implantation. The present study aimed to evaluate effect of intra-uterine injection of hCG before embryo transfer on the pregnancy outcome in IVF. Methods: In this study, 180 infertile patients were randomly allocated into an experiment and a control group. In the experiment group, before embryo transfer, 500 IU hCG were injected into the endometrium cavity in puncture stage. Equal amount of phosphate buffer (placebo) was injected to the subjects in the control group. Pregnancy test was done two weeks after the intervention. In case of positive results, ultrasound scan was done for detecting the gestational sac and numbers of sacs. Results: Mean age of the patients was 30±3.41 years and 31±4.12 years in the experimental and control group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the duration of infertility between the two groups (4.77±3.67 years vs. 4.87±3.74 years). Based on the hCG level, the pregnancy rate was 35.5% in both groups. However, based on ultrasound findings, the pregnancy rate was 35.5% and 28.8% in the experiment group and the control group, respectively (P=0.33). In addition, there was no significant difference in the pregnancy rates between different age groups. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the intra-uterine injection of β-hCG has no significant effect on the pregnancy rate in IVF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the impact of the cervical mucus aspiration before the transplantation of embryo on pregnancy rate.