Use of clomiphene citrate in minimal ovarian stimulation cycles negatively impacts endometrial thickness, independent of peak estradiol levels: an argument for a freeze-all approach

Abstract

Minimal ovarian stimulation cycles use daily clomiphene citrate (CC) and a small amount of gonadotropin on days 5, 7, and 9 of the ovarian stimulation. Extrapolating from data on intrauterine insemination cycles that indicate CC may have a detrimental effect on the endometrial stripe (ES), we avoid fresh embryo transfer in patients undergoing minimal stimulation despite the lack of data from IVF cycles to support this freeze-all practice. We sought to determine if ES is negatively affected in minimal stimulation as compared to other types of ovarian stimulation that do not utilize CC.