Dexamethasone and Clomiphene combination for polycystic ovary syndrome

Dexamethasone (glucocorticoid) with Clomiphene (anti-estrogen therapy) shown to improve hormone levels and effectively enhance ovulation and pregnancy rates in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Clomiphene primarily has been used to treat PCOS, an endocrine gynaecological disorder but most patients are resistant to it. This study analysed the efficacy of combination therapy i.e. Dexamethasone and Clomiphene in women with PCOS.

Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Medical Network, and VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform with appropriate search keywords. The Review Manager and Stata software were used to conduct the meta-analysis. Cochrane’s risk of bias tool assessed the risk of bias in suitable studies. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Begg’s and Egger’s tests.

Twelve literatures were retrieved which comprised 1270 women with PCOS. Dexamethasone combined with Clomiphene significantly improved pregnancy and ovulation rates, as well as levels of luteinizing hormone, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone. However, it did not demonstrate noteworthy effects on ovulation-induction hormone levels, adverse reactions, dizziness and vomiting.

Combining Dexamethasone with Clomiphene has the potential to improve pregnancy and ovulation rates in PCOS patients.