[The sterile woman, the physician and time. Number of spontaneous pregnancies in patients with functional sterility].

We analysed a one to eight year follow-up of the women remaining infertile after a double-blind study of cyclofenil versus placebo to determine the frequency of pregnancy occurring independently of treatment. Pregnancy occurred in 64 women, 25 during treatment, 39 without treatment. We evaluated the effect of age, cause and duration of infertility on the pregnancy rate. The cumulative pregnancy rates at 36 months after the beginning of the study was 92 per cent for anovulatory cycles, 55 per cent for luteal insufficiency, 69 per cent for cervical mucus insufficiency and 49 per cent for idiopathic infertility. Of the 213 women entering the study, pregnancy occurred in 111 women, 47 in 3 cycles by a placebo effect, 39 without any treatment and 25 during a cycle with treatment. We conclude that the rate of treatment-independent pregnancy is high among infertile couples and that the two main therapeutic factors are time and the doctor-patient relationship.