Women who received letrozole had more cumulative live births and higher ovulation rates than those who received clomiphene in a small-scale study among infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
In a randomized of 750 women with PCOS, 27.5% of the 374 women who received letrozole had a live birth, compared with 19.1% of the 376 women treated with clomiphene. Eighty-nine percent of women who took letrozole ovulated, compared with 77 % of women who took clomiphene (N. Engl. J. Med. 2014;371:119-29).
There were no significant differences between the groups in congenital anomalies or pregnancy loss, although Dr. Richard S. Legro of Penn State University, Hershey, and his associates noted that further studies with larger numbers of infants will be needed to clarify the safety and teratogenic risks of the drugs. The complete results from the study can be found here.
See our coverage from the conjoint meeting of the International Federation of Fertility Societies and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Legro reported receiving consulting fees from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, and Euroscreen. Dr. Diamond reported receiving consulting fees from EMD Serono and serving on the board of directors of and owning stock in Advanced Reproductive Care. Dr. Santoro reported receiving grant support from Bayer and holding stock options in MenoGeniX.