The following is a summary of the “Higher live birth rate following transdermal testosterone pretreatment in poor responders: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the Jan 2023 issue of Reproductive Biomedicine Online by Katsika, et al.

To find high-quality RCTs evaluating testosterone pretreatment in poor responders, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. There were eight randomized controlled trials examined, totaling 797 female participants. All studies used a transdermal testosterone gel of 10-12.5 mg daily for 10-56 days. Clinical pregnancy or live birth was used as the primary outcome measure. 

The number of cumulus-oocyte complexes retrieved was also significantly higher after testosterone pretreatment (RR 2.07, 95% CI 1.09-3.92), as was the likelihood of a live birth (RR 2.25, 95% CI 1.54-3.30). The number of days needed to complete ovarian stimulation, the total dose of gonadotrophins, the cancellation rate due to poor ovarian response, and the thickness of the endometrium on the day of the trigger for final oocyte maturation all decreased significantly. 

They found no statistically significant differences in oestradiol levels, the number of follicles 17 mm, metaphase II oocytes,2-pronuclear oocytes and embryos transferred, or the percentage of patients who underwent embryo transfer. According to the results of the current study, pretreatment with transdermal testosterone increases the likelihood of pregnancy in poor responders undergoing ovarian stimulation for IVF.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472648322007179