ENDOMETRIOSIS IMPAIRS THE EFFICACY OF GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER - RESULTS OF A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Objective: To determine whether pelvic endometriosis impairs the effic acy of GIFT. Design: Matched follow-up study. Setting: University-base d assisted reproduction program. Participants: Patients undergoing GIF T between 1987 and 1991. Cases had a primary diagnosis of endometriosi s. Controls had no endometriosis and were matched with cases according to age, number of mature eggs transferred, and sperm grade. Intervent ion: Gamete intrafallopian transfer was performed in all patients in a n identical manner independent of their underlying diagnosis. Main Out come Measures: Pregnancy and delivery rates. Results: Of 114 laparosco pic egg retrievals performed in the endometriosis group, there were 37 pregnancies (32.5%) and 27 deliveries (23.7%). Of the 214 retrievals in the control group, there were 101 pregnancies (47.2%) and 76 delive ries (35.5%). Mantel-Haenszel estimates of relative risk indicated tha t endometriosis significantly impaired pregnancy and delivery rates. T here was no statistically significant difference in pregnancy rates ac cording to severity of disease among endometriosis cases. There was no statistically significant difference in pregnancy rates according to severity of disease among endometriosis cases. Conclusions: Our findin g that GIFT pregnancy rates were lower in women with a primary diagnos is of endometriosis than in matched controls suggests that endometrios is is associated with reduced efficacy of GIFT.