The use of laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery in preventing cancellation of in-vitro fertilization treatment cycles due to risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in women with polycystic ovaries.

Fifty women with polycystic ovaries took part in a prospective randomized study. All women required treatment by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for reasons other than anovulation. They had all previously undergone ovarian stimulation with gonadotrophin therapy which had failed to result in pregnancy or had been abandoned due to high risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Twenty-five women were treated by long-term pituitary desensitization followed by gonadotrophin therapy, oocyte retrieval and embryo transfer (group 1). Twenty-five women underwent laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery after pituitary desensitization followed by gonadotrophin therapy, oocyte retrieval and embryo transfer (group 2). A significantly higher number of women in group 1 had to have the treatment cycle abandoned due to impending or actual OHSS, determined by endocrine and clinical findings. In addition, the development of moderate or severe OHSS in completed cycles was higher in group 1. The pregnancy rate and miscarriage rates in the two treatment groups were similar. The authors propose that laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery is a potentially useful treatment for women who have previously had an IVF treatment cycle cancelled due to risk of OHSS or who have suffered OHSS in a previous treatment cycle.