Association of obesity with treatment outcomes in ovulatory infertile women undergoing superovulation and intrauterine insemination

ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between obesity and the outcome of superovulation and intrauterine insemination (IUI) in infertile ovulatory women.DesignRetrospective chart review.SettingUniversity-based infertility clinic.Patient(s)Three hundred thirty-three ovulatory women, grouped by body mass index (BMI) categories, who received superovulation and IUI for treatment of infertility.Intervention(s)None.Main Outcome Measure(s)Primary outcome: cycle fecundity. Secondary outcomes: total dose of gonadotropins, serum level of E2, and number of follicles ≥17 mm on the day of hCG injection.Result(s)Adjusted cycle fecundity was not different among BMI groups (underweight: 0.14 [95% CI: {0.07, 0.29}], normal weight: 0.12 [95% CI: {0.09, 0.16}], overweight: 0.17 [95% CI: {0.12, 0.24}], and obese: 0.14 [95% CI: {0.08, 0.23}]).Adjusted total gonadotropin dose (IU/cycle) was greater in obese women than in underweight or normal-weight women. Although the numbers of large follicles were not different, E2 levels (pg/mL) were lower in obese women than in normal-weight and overweight women.Conclusion(s)Our sample of ovulatory infertile women demonstrated that treatment-related cycle fecundity is unaffected by obesity. We conclude that obese, infertile ovulatory women require a greater dose of gonadotropins to achieve similar levels of superovulation than normal, underweight or overweight women.