The effect of testosterone gel on fertility outcomes in women with a poor response in in vitro fertilization cycles: A pilot randomized clinical trial

Background: in this study, the effect of testosterone gel administration during ovulation induction on the fertility rate was examined in women with a poor ovarian response in in vitro fertilization (ivf) cycles. materials and methods: the current study is a single‑blinded, randomized clinical trial. patients who met inclusion (bologna) criteria were placed in the antagonist cycle group. the patients were randomly divided into two groups each included 25 participants treated with a placebo (lubricant gel, the controls) and testosterone gel (intervention). fertility outcomes were compared between two study groups. results: the mean ± standard deviation (sd) age of intervention (41.04 ± 3.77) versus control group (39.69 ± 3.29) was not statistically different. the two studied groups were not statistically different in terms of follicle‑stimulating hormone; antral follicle count, ivf, anti‑mullerian hormone, and the duration of infertility. the mean ± sd of oocyte 2.48 ± 1.64 versus 1.17 ± 1.27 and embryo 1.60 ± 1.58 versus 0.39 ± 0.58 in intervention group was significantly higher than control group (p < 0.01). the rate of pregnancy 16% versus 0% and embryo of quality a–b was significantly higher in intervention group than control (60% versus 17.4%, p < 0.05). conclusion: the results of the current study showed that the testosterone gel has a significant impact on the fertility rate in women with a poor response in the ivf cycles. further, randomized clinical trials with larger sample sized are recommended.