Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, No. 11, 2249-2250,
November 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Potential dangers in the customary methods of conducting meta-analyses
Recombinant versus urinary follicle stimulating hormone
Thorpes, The Grip, Linton, Cambridge CB1 6NR, UK
Correspondence: To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dew1{at}cus.cam.ac.uk
The customary method of combining success rates in meta-analyses may often result in serious biases, leading to erroneous inferences. This arises because of an inadmissible pooling of frequencies from heterogeneous sources. The fundamental statistical principle, that the magnitude of an effect should always be tested against the variation in that effect over the sample, may not therefore be satisfied. A simple, but rigorous, alternative method is described.
Key words: bias/data-pooling/erroneous inferences/meta-analyses