Inositol for subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Study answer

What this study found

Live birth data: very low-quality evidence; MI vs standard treatment shows uncertain effect on live birth (OR 2.42, 95% CI 0.75–7.83; 2 RCTs, 84 women). Miscarriage: MI may reduce miscarriage (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.86; 4 RCTs, 535 women). Multiple pregnancy: little or no difference (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.63–1.71; 2 RCTs, 425 women). Clinical pregnancy: uncertain effect (OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.87–1.85; 4 RCTs, 535 women). Overall, confidence in these results is very low to low due to study quality and heterogeneity; no conclusive evidence supports MI or DCIs to improve live birth or clinical…

Study & population

Randomized controlled trials enrolling subfertile women with PCOS trying to conceive; two settings: pre-treatment to IVF/ICSI and ovulation induction; participants were women with PCOS of reproductive age (mostly mid-20s to late-30s); Rotterdam criteria used to define PCOS; populations included a range of BMI and sometimes poor responders.

Intervention

Regimens varied across trials.

Key limitation

Very low-to-low quality evidence; small sample sizes; risk of bias due to unclear randomization/allocation concealment; lack of placebo controls; heterogeneity in regimens and populations; inconsistent reporting of live birth and adverse events.

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Original abstract