[Therapeutic effect of intravaginal application of estriol tablets in the treatment of pathological cervical factor as a cause of sterility].

81 women were included in a prospective randomised 12-year personal study. The "pathological cervical factor" was confirmed by periovulatory daily examination of the quality of the cervical mucus, using a new modified scheme of cervical score by examining the oestrogenic activity in the vaginal smear and results of sperm-penetration tests after Sims- Huhner , partly also by periovulatory determination of the concentration of luteinising hormone in the serum. The presence of ovulatory cycles could also be determined by regular registration of the cycle length, measurement of the basal body temperature and partly by premenstrual endometrium biopsies; these determinations were of course effected during cycles without therapy. All 81 cases with abnormal preovulatory production of cervical mucus were treated in a total of 234 cycles by intravaginal application of oestriol tablets 1 to maximal 3 mg daily for 1 or more subsequent cycles. On the basis of these criteria, the quality of cervical mucus and postcoital tests improved with a satisfying intravaginal resorption of the oestriol tablets; no side effects were seen. After this therapy, very good results were obtained with intravaginally administered oestriol tablets in 59.3% of the patients with a pregnancy rate of 27.2%; 24.7% of the cases only showed a moderate improvement of the mucus; 16.0% did not respond to oestriol treatment and, therefore, had to be considered as therapeutic failures. The present study again confirms the results of other investigators on the local effectiveness of intravaginal application of oestriol tablets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)