Live birth and perinatal outcomes following stimulated and unstimulated IVF: analysis of over two decades of a nationwide data

STUDY QUESTION Does ovarian stimulation affect perinatal outcomes of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) following IVF treatment. SUMMARY ANSWER Despite no significant differences in the risks of PTB and LBW between stimulated and unstimulated IVF in the present study, the study cannot exclude the effect of ovarian stimulation on the perinatal outcomes following IVF. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN Pregnancies resulting from assisted reproductive treatments (ART) are associated with a higher risk of pregnancy complications compared to spontaneously conceived pregnancies attributed to the underlying infertility and the in vitro fertilization techniques. It is of interest to determine the effect size of ovarian stimulation use in achieving a live birth and whether ovarian stimulation that is routinely used in IVF, affects perinatal outcomes of birth weight and gestational age at delivery compared to unstimulated IVF. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Anonymous data were obtained from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the statutory regulator of ART in the UK. The HFEA has collected data prospectively on all ART performed in the UK since 1991. Data from 1991 to 2011 comprising a total of 591 003 fresh IVF ± ICSI cycles involving 584 835 stimulated IVF cycles and 6168 unstimulated IVF cycles were analyzed. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Data on all women undergoing either stimulated or unstimulated fresh IVF ± ICSI cycles during the p...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tags: Infertility Source Type: research