Luteal phase evaluation after clomiphene-chorionic gonadotrophin-induced ovulation

Fifty infertile patients treated with clomiphene and hCG for induction of ovulation were studied with plasma progesterone measurement and endometrial histology. Five patients (10%) presented defective endometria and low plasma progesterone in spite of biphasic BBT charts with normal luteal phase length. Forty-five patients (90%) had significantly higher plasma progesterone concentrations than those found in a control group of fertile women, but a defective endometrial secretory pattern occurred in 19 of these 45 patients (42.3%). These data suggest the need for monitoring the response to clomiphene by endometrial histology in addition to BBT and plasma progesterone, or for supplemental therapy to overcome the endometrial luteal phase deficiency in clomiphene-treated cycles.