Adding LH-active hormone to fertility treatment doesn't boost live births

If you're undergoing fertility treatment, you might wonder whether adding a hormone called LH to your drugs makes a difference. This large review of 56 trials involving over 14,000 women found that adding LH-active drugs to standard fertility treatment didn't meaningfully improve live birth or ongoing pregnancy rates. The chance of having a baby was essentially the same whether LH was added or not. The review also found a slight reduction in the number of eggs retrieved, and the evidence on mature eggs was very uncertain. Importantly, adding LH probably doesn't increase the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a potentially serious complication where the ovaries overreact to stimulation. The certainty of the evidence ranged from moderate for birth and pregnancy outcomes to low or very low for egg counts. Because the studies varied in how they were done, the results might not apply equally to everyone, and more research is needed for specific groups.