Chinese study questions IVF treatment drug prednisone

A multi-center, randomized clinical study by Chinese medical experts showed that a regular prescription used commonly by doctors at home and abroad aiming to improve success rate for patients with recurrent implantation failure undergoing in vitro fertilization was unable to play this role.

Results from the four-year study showed that prednisone, a common immunotherapy oral drug, does not improve the fetus' live birth rate among patients with repeated IVF implantation failures. On the contrary, it may increase the risk of biochemical pregnancy loss and premature birth.

The study was conducted by researchers from Shanghai Renji Hospital jointly with fellows from seven other medical institutions, including the Hospital for Reproductive Medicine Affiliated to Shandong University, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital, and the Third Hospital Afifiliated with Zhengzhou University.

A paper about the study was published on the website of Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday.

The researchers said the study result challenged the current clinical operation and has guiding significance in possibly changing clinical practice.

More than half of physicians provided immunotherapy for patients with repeated implantation failures, according to figures from a study released by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in 2020.

Assisted reproductive technology is an effective treatment for infertility. However, repeated implantation failures, of which the occurrence rate is between 10 to 20 percent, are a huge challenge to doctors and a key issue that needs to be addressed urgently.