Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome II

Summary

The primary research hypothesis is that ovulation induction with an aromatase inhibitor (letrozole) is more likely to result in live birth than ovulation induction with a selective estrogen receptor modulator (clomiphene citrate) in infertile women with PCOS. A safety hypothesis will also be incorporated into the primary research hypothesis in which we hypothesize both treatments are equally safe for mother and child. Secondary research hypotheses include: 1. Treatment with letrozole is more likely to result in singleton pregnancy compared to treatment with clomiphene citrate. Singleton pregnancy is defined as presence of a single intrauterine gestational sac with a single fetal pole and observable heart motion. 2. Treatment with letrozole will less likely result in a first trimester intrauterine fetal demise than treatment with clomiphene citrate. A first trimester IUFD is defined as a pregnancy that ends before 13 weeks gestation. 3. Treatment with letrozole is more likely to result in ovulation (increased ovulation rate) compared to treatment with clomiphene citrate. Ovulation is defined as a midluteal progesterone level ≥ 3 ng/mL. 4. The shortest time to pregnancy will be with letrozole. 5. Age, body mass index, SHBG, testosterone, LH, Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH), and degree of hirsutism and acne will be significant predictors of ovulation and conception regardless of treatment. 6. Improvement in SHBG, testosterone, AMH, and LH levels will be significant predictors of ovulation and conception regardless of treatment. 7. DNA polymorphisms in estrogen action genes will predict response to study drug. 8. Quality of Life will be better on letrozole than clomiphene. 9. Letrozole will be more cost effective at achieving singleton pregnancies than clomiphene.

Timeline

Start

2009-02

Primary completion

2013-05

Completion

2013-05

Publications

• Yun BH, Seo SK, Maher JY, Dowlut-McElroy T, Gomez-Lobo V. Prepregnancy Insulin Resistance and Fertility and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Obstet Gynecol. 2026 May 22. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000006318. Online ahead of print.
• Kuokkanen S, Seungdamrong A, Santoro N, Lieman H, Sun F, Wild R, Zhang H, Pal L. A relook at the relevance of thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroid autoimmunity for pregnancy outcomes: Analyses of randomized control trials data from Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Assessment of Multiple Intrauterine Gestations from Ovarian Stimulation. Fertil Steril. 2025 May;123(5):873-882. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.12.005. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
• Souter I, Sun F, Zhang H, Diamond MP, Legro RS, Wild RA, Hansen KR, Santoro N; Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. A personalized medicine approach to ovulation induction/ovarian stimulation: development of a predictive model and online calculator from level-I evidence. Fertil Steril. 2022 Feb;117(2):408-418. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.10.024.
• Eisenberg E, Legro RS, Diamond MP, Huang H, O'Brien LM, Smith YR, Coutifaris C, Hansen KR, Santoro N, Zhang H. Sleep Habits of Women With Infertility. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Oct 21;106(11):e4414-e4426. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgab474.
• Engmann L, Sun F, Legro RS, Diamond MP, Zhang H, Santoro N; Reproductive Medicine Network. Factors associated with study protocol adherence and bio banking participation in reproductive medicine clinical trials and their relationship to live birth. Hum Reprod. 2020 Dec 1;35(12):2819-2831. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deaa232.
• Butts SF, Seifer DB, Koelper N, Senapati S, Sammel MD, Hoofnagle AN, Kelly A, Krawetz SA, Santoro N, Zhang H, Diamond MP, Legro RS; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Poor Ovarian Stimulation Outcome in PCOS but Not Unexplained Infertility. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Feb 1;104(2):369-378. doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-00750.
• Greenwood EA, Pasch LA, Cedars MI, Legro RS, Huddleston HG; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. Association among depression, symptom experience, and quality of life in polycystic ovary syndrome. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Sep;219(3):279.e1-279.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2018.06.017. Epub 2018 Jun 30.
• Evans-Hoeker EA, Eisenberg E, Diamond MP, Legro RS, Alvero R, Coutifaris C, Casson PR, Christman GM, Hansen KR, Zhang H, Santoro N, Steiner AZ; Reproductive Medicine Network. Major depression, antidepressant use, and male and female fertility. Fertil Steril. 2018 May;109(5):879-887. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.01.029.
• Seungdamrong A, Steiner AZ, Gracia CR, Legro RS, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Schlaff WD, Casson P, Christman GM, Robinson RD, Huang H, Alvero R, Hansen KR, Jin S, Eisenberg E, Zhang H, Santoro N; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. Preconceptional antithyroid peroxidase antibodies, but not thyroid-stimulating hormone, are associated with decreased live birth rates in infertile women. Fertil Steril. 2017 Oct 25:S0015-0282(17)31748-X. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.08.026. Online ahead of print.
• Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Trussell JC, Craig LB, Gracia C, Huang H, Alvero R, Casson P, Christman G, Coutifaris C, Diamond M, Jin S, Legro RS, Robinson RD, Schlaff WD, Zhang H; Reproductive Medicine Network Investigators. Fertility-related quality of life from two RCT cohorts with infertility: unexplained infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum Reprod. 2016 Oct;31(10):2268-79. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dew175. Epub 2016 Jul 7.
• Legro RS, Dodson WC, Kunselman AR, Stetter CM, Kris-Etherton PM, Williams NI, Gnatuk CL, Estes SJ, Allison KC, Sarwer DB, Diamond MP, Schlaff WD, Casson PR, Christman GM, Barnhart KT, Bates GW, Usadi R, Lucidi S, Baker V, Zhang H, Eisenberg E, Coutifaris C, Dokras A. Benefit of Delayed Fertility Therapy With Preconception Weight Loss Over Immediate Therapy in Obese Women With PCOS. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Jul;101(7):2658-66. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-1659. Epub 2016 May 12.
• Steiner AZ, Diamond MP, Legro RS, Schlaff WD, Barnhart KT, Casson PR, Christman GM, Alvero R, Hansen KR, Geisler WM, Thomas T, Santoro N, Zhang H, Eisenberg E; Reproductive Medicine Network. Chlamydia trachomatis immunoglobulin G3 seropositivity is a predictor of reproductive outcomes in infertile women with patent fallopian tubes. Fertil Steril. 2015 Dec;104(6):1522-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.08.022. Epub 2015 Sep 25.
• Kuang H, Jin S, Thomas T, Engmann L, Hansen KR, Coutifaris C, Casson P, Christman G, Alvero R, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Diamond MP, Legro RS, Zhang H; Reproductive Medicine Network. Predictors of participant retention in infertility treatment trials. Fertil Steril. 2015 Nov;104(5):1236-43.e1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2015.08.001. Epub 2015 Sep 3.
• Kuang H, Jin S, Hansen KR, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Casson P, Christman G, Alvero R, Huang H, Bates GW, Usadi R, Lucidi S, Baker V, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Legro RS, Zhang H; Reproductive Medicine Network. Identification and replication of prediction models for ovulation, pregnancy and live birth in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum Reprod. 2015 Sep;30(9):2222-33. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dev182. Epub 2015 Jul 22.
• Legro RS, Chen G, Kunselman AR, Schlaff WD, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Carson SA, Steinkampf MP, Carr BR, McGovern PG, Cataldo NA, Gosman GG, Nestler JE, Myers ER, Zhang H, Foulds J; Reproductive Medicine Network. Smoking in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome: baseline validation of self-report and effects on phenotype. Hum Reprod. 2014 Dec;29(12):2680-6. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deu239. Epub 2014 Oct 16.
• Legro RS, Brzyski RG, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Schlaff WD, Casson P, Christman GM, Huang H, Yan Q, Alvero R, Haisenleder DJ, Barnhart KT, Bates GW, Usadi R, Lucidi S, Baker V, Trussell JC, Krawetz SA, Snyder P, Ohl D, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Zhang H; NICHD Reproductive Medicine Network. Letrozole versus clomiphene for infertility in the polycystic ovary syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2014 Jul 10;371(2):119-29. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1313517.
• Legro RS, Brzyski RG, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Schlaff WD, Alvero R, Casson P, Christman GM, Huang H, Yan Q, Haisenleder DJ, Barnhart KT, Bates GW, Usadi R, Lucidi R, Baker V, Trussell JC, Krawetz SA, Snyder P, Ohl D, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Zhang H; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Reproductive Medicine Network. The Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome II study: baseline characteristics and effects of obesity from a multicenter randomized clinical trial. Fertil Steril. 2014 Jan;101(1):258-269.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.08.056. Epub 2013 Oct 21.
• Schlaff WD, Zhang H, Diamond MP, Coutifaris C, Casson PR, Brzyski RG, Christman GM, Barnhart KT, Trussell JC, Krawetz SA, Snyder PJ, Ohl D, Santoro N, Eisenberg E, Huang H, Legro RS; Reproductive Medicine Network. Increasing burden of institutional review in multicenter clinical trials of infertility: the Reproductive Medicine Network experience with the Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PPCOS) I and II studies. Fertil Steril. 2011 Jul;96(1):15-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.05.069. Epub 2011 Jun 8.

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