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Intrauterine PRP or PRGF infusion increases endometrial thickness but clinical pregnancy results remain fragilePlatelet Rich Plasma May Help Thin Endometrium During Fertility Treatment

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Key Takeaway
Note that while PRP/PRGF increases endometrial thickness, clinical pregnancy benefits are fragile and evidence is low certainty.

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of intrauterine infusion of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) for women with thin endometrium undergoing assisted reproduction. The analysis included 370 participants for endometrial thickness data and 343 participants for clinical pregnancy outcomes.

The meta-analysis reported a significant increase in endometrial thickness (MD 0.94 mm; 95% CI 0.34-1.55; p=0.010), though this was characterized by very high heterogeneity (I-squared=90.5%). Regarding clinical pregnancy, the analysis showed an increased risk (RR 2.32; 95% CI 1.02-5.31; p=0.047), but authors noted this result is fragile as it lost significance in leave-one-out analysis. No significant differences were found for biochemical pregnancy or cycle cancellation.

The authors highlight several limitations, including a small number of trials, high risk of bias, and very low certainty of evidence for both pregnancy and thickness outcomes. Due to these factors and the preliminary nature of the data, results should be interpreted with caution. Clinical application requires confirmation in larger, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials.

Researchers looked at how intrauterine infusions of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) affect women with a thin endometrium. This condition can make it harder to achieve a pregnancy during assisted reproduction. The study analyzed data from 370 participants regarding lining thickness and 343 participants regarding clinical pregnancy outcomes.

The analysis found that the treatment significantly increased endometrial thickness by an average of 0.94 mm. There was also a reported increase in clinical pregnancy rates, though this specific result was considered fragile because it lost significance when individual studies were removed from the calculation. No significant differences were found for biochemical pregnancies or cycle cancellations.

It is important to note that these findings come from a small number of trials with a high risk of bias and very low certainty of evidence. Because the results are preliminary, they should not be viewed as a proven treatment. More large-scale, well-designed clinical trials are needed to confirm if this method effectively improves outcomes for patients.

What this means for you:
Platelet-rich plasma may increase lining thickness, but evidence is currently too weak to confirm its effectiveness.

Common questions

Does this treatment help with a thin lining?

The study found that an intrauterine infusion of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or growth factor-rich plasma significantly increased endometrial thickness by an average of 0.94 mm. However, the evidence is currently considered to be of very low certainty due to the small number of trials involved.

Does it improve pregnancy rates?

The study showed a statistically significant increase in clinical pregnancy rates (RR 2.32). However, researchers noted this result is fragile and lost significance during certain types of data analysis. Because the evidence is preliminary, more research is needed to confirm if it truly helps with pregnancy.

Are there any known side effects?

The provided data did not report any specific adverse events, serious complications, or issues with how well patients tolerated the treatment. Because the study was small and had a high risk of bias, more research is needed to establish a full safety profile.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis
EvidenceLevel 1
PublishedAug 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
BackgroundThin endometrium is a recognized cause of implantation failure in assisted reproduction, and conventional treatments are frequently disappointing. Intrauterine infusion of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) has emerged as a candidate therapy, but the randomized evidence remains limited and inconsistent.ObjectiveTo synthesize the randomized controlled evidence on the efficacy of intrauterine PRP or PRGF for women with thin endometrium, with clinical pregnancy as the primary outcome and biochemical pregnancy, endometrial thickness change, and cycle cancellation as secondary outcomes.DesignSystematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 30 April 2026. RCTs comparing intrauterine PRP or PRGF against a non-PRP control in women with thin endometrium were eligible. Risk of bias was appraised with the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and certainty of evidence with GRADE. Dichotomous outcomes were pooled as risk ratios (RR) and endometrial thickness change as a mean difference (MD), using random-effects models with the Hartung-Knapp adjustment. Heterogeneity was quantified with the I-squared statistic, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsSeven RCTs were included. For clinical pregnancy, five trials (343 participants) yielded a pooled RR of 2.32 (95% CI 1.02-5.31; p=0.047; I-squared=23.0%). PRP or PRGF significantly increased endometrial thickness (six trials, 370 participants; MD 0.94 mm, 95% CI 0.34-1.55; p=0.010) but with very high heterogeneity (I-squared=90.5%). Biochemical pregnancy (four trials, RR 2.32, 95% CI 0.71-7.52; p=0.108) and cycle cancellation (three trials, exploratory; RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.00-203.51; p=0.622) did not differ significantly. Leave-one-out analysis showed that the clinical-pregnancy result lost statistical significance when any of several trials was removed. Certainty of evidence was very low for pregnancy and thickness outcomes.ConclusionIntrauterine PRP or PRGF reliably increases endometrial thickness and shows a marginally significant, fragile improvement in clinical pregnancy, without demonstrable benefit for biochemical pregnancy or cycle cancellation. Given the small number of trials, high risk of bias, and very low certainty of evidence, these findings should be regarded as preliminary and require confirmation in larger, rigorously designed RCTs.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/home, identifier CRD420261383681.
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