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The review compares success rates between would-be mothers who took glucocorticoids around the time of embryo implantation and those who did not. All of the women underwent one of two types of assisted reproductive technology. In vitro fertilization (IVF) involves removing mature eggs from a woman’s ovary, mixing them with sperm in the laboratory, and placing the embryos in the woman’s reproductive tract. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is another in vitro fertilization practice where a single sperm is injected directly into a harvested egg.

The meta-analysis pooled data from 13 studies including 1,759 couples. Every study was a randomized controlled trial, which is considered the most reliable form of scientific evidence.

The review found no overall improvement in pregnancy rates when the assisted reproductive technologies were combined with glucocorticoid treatment. However, six of the studies – of 650 women undergoing IVF – revealed a slightly higher pregnancy rate among women who took the hormones. The review authors say the difference barely exceeds that which could be attributed to mere chance.

“At present, glucocorticoids should not be offered as a routine procedure in women undergoing ART (assisted reproductive technologies), except in the context of well-designed studies,” the reviewers conclude.

Glucocorticoids can bring on problems such as infections or premature births. Though the available studies reported no significant increases in these negative outcomes, they were “poorly and inconsistently reported,” the review said. Further research is needed to clarify both benefits and harms, Boomsma and colleagues said.

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