An extended 10-day course of clomiphene citrate (CC) in women with CC-resistant ovulatory disorders

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of extended duration clomiphene citrate (CC) (100 mg for 10 days) as an alternative to complex ovulation induction strategies for women who fail to ovulate despite standard incremental doses of CC of greater than or equal to 150 mg for 5 days. Design: Retrospective case series. Setting: University-based infertility practice. Patient(s): Thirty women with CC-resistant World Health Organization group II ovulatory disorders. Intervention(s): At least one cycle of 100 mg CC from days 3 to 12, Result(s): Fourteen patients (47%) ovulated during 31 of their 48 cycles (65%). Five women (17%) conceived a total of seven singleton pregnancies, including five term deliveries and two spontaneous abortions. Weight, body mass index, and the presence of hyperandrogenism did not predict responsiveness to the extended duration CC, Side effects were similar to those reported during standard CC treatment. Conclusion(s): An extended 10-day course of CC provides a simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive alternative for a subset of women with ovulatory disorders that are refractory to standard CC treatment.