Administration of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may impair fertility. The occurrence of the luteinized unruptured follicle (LUF) syndrome was assessed in women with inflammatory arthropathies exposed to NSAIDs and compared to that in nonexposed women.
Fourteen patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease, 29 women with noninflammatory musculoskeletal conditions, and 449 women not exposed to NSAIDs were studied by intravaginal ultrasound monitoring for follicular development and ovulation in 1 or more menstrual cycles. Disease activity was assessed in inflammatory rheumatic disease.
In 59 monitored cycles of patients with continuous NSAID exposure, 35.6% of LUF syndromes occurred compared to 3.4% of LUF syndromes in untreated women (P < 0.001). Etoricoxib was responsible for 75% of LUF syndromes in patients exposed continuously, whereas diclofenac generated 15% of LUF syndromes. An ibuprofen dosage of 1,600 mg/day did not induce LUF syndrome either at continuous periovulatory or discontinuous exposure. Interestingly, the frequency of LUF syndrome was 46.2% in patients with inactive inflammatory disease compared to 15% in patients with active disease (P = 0.023). Etoricoxib generated LUF syndrome in 94.2% of the cases with inactive disease versus 28.6% in patients with active disease (P = 0.003).
NSAIDs increased the risk of the LUF syndrome, particularly in patients with inactive disease. The selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor etoricoxib was a more potent inductor of LUF syndrome than nonselective COX inhibitors. Continuous periovulatory exposure to NSAIDs should be avoided when planning a pregnancy in patients with rheumatic diseases.