Retracted: Cervical mucus removal prior to intrauterine insemination: a randomized trial

Abstract

Objective To detect if removing the cervical mucus before performing intrauterine insemination (IUI) could improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with unexplained infertility.Design Prospective randomized study.Setting An Egyptian University Hospital.Population Seven hundred and fourteen couples with unexplained infertility who underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI) with or without cervical mucus removal.Methods Using computer-generated numbers, patients were randomly allocated to cervical-mucus-removal (removed from both internal and external os) or non-mucus-removal groups. Only participants were blinded as to group assignment.Main outcome measures The clinical pregnancy rate.Results Of 714 IUI patients between November 2014 and March 2017, 361 were in the mucus removal group, and 353 in the nonmucus-removal group. Difficult catheterization was encountered in 17 cases out of 666 (2.6%) 12 in the cervical-mucus-removal group and five in the non-mucus-removal group). A total of 666 IUI cycles were completed while 48 were either cancelled or lost in their follow-up. The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher in the mucus-removal group [31.0% (n = 112)] than in the non-mucus-removal group [21.8% (n = 77); P = 0.005]. Ovarian hyperstimulation developed in 33 (4.6%) cases: 18 cervical mucus-removal and 15 non-mucus-removal. All except one were mild and managed with outpatient care.Conclusions Cervical mucus removal before IUI could improve pregnancy outcomes in women with unexplained infertility.

Evaluation of the levels of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor in the cervical mucus of women with unexplained infertility

“…have reported that after aspirating the cervical mucus before intrauterine insemination (IUI) in women with unexplained infertility, 13 the pregnancy rates increased over that in the non‐aspirated group (24% vs 9.5%, respectively) Maher et al . have demonstrated that among patients with unexplained infertility, 14 the pregnancy rate in the group with the cervical mucus removed was higher than that in those with the cervical mucus still intact (31% vs 21.8%, respectively). Simsek et al .…”

“…12 In patients with unexplained infertility, we found that SLPI levels in the cervical mucus were remarkably increased compared to those in the control group, and the results of several studies may support our findings. For example, Simsek et al have reported that after aspirating the cervical mucus before intrauterine insemination (IUI) in women with unexplained infertility, 13 the pregnancy rates increased over that in the non-aspirated group (24% vs 9.5%, respectively) Maher et al have demonstrated that among patients with unexplained infertility, 14 the pregnancy rate in the group with the cervical mucus removed was higher than that in those with the cervical mucus still intact (31% vs 21.8%, respectively). Simsek et al have speculated that even a small amount of cervical mucus injected into the endometrial cavity by an insemination catheter leads to low pregnancy rates by negatively affecting sperm motility and the sperm-oocyte interaction.…”

The Validity of the Scores of Cervical Mucus during Artificial Insemination for Estimating the Probability of Conceiving in Clinically Healthy Cows

“…C ervical mucus is one of the factors which play a role in natural fertilization and also being the place for sperm capacitation (Maher et al, 2018). Cervical mucus is a biological environment that affects sperm survival and determines the ability of cows to become pregnant (Beran et al, 2013).…”