BLOOD ON THE EMBRYO-TRANSFER CATHETER IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED RATES OF EMBRYO IMPLANTATION AND CLINICAL PREGNANCY WITH THE USE OF IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION-EMBRYO TRANSFER
Vt. Goudas et al., BLOOD ON THE EMBRYO-TRANSFER CATHETER IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED RATES OF EMBRYO IMPLANTATION AND CLINICAL PREGNANCY WITH THE USE OF IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION-EMBRYO TRANSFER, Fertility and sterility, 70(5), 1998, pp. 878-882
Objective: To examine the relation between blood found on the transfer
catheter after ET and the rates of embryo implantation and clinical p
regnancy with the use of IVF-ET. Design: Retrospective cohort study. S
etting: A tertiary care center for assisted reproductive technology. P
atient(s): Three hundred seven couples who underwent 354 ETs between J
anuary 1, 1994, and June 30, 1996. Intervention(s): A semiquantitative
system for recording the amount of blood found inside and outside the
transfer catheter after ET. Main Outcome Measure(s): Embryo implantat
ion rate and clinical pregnancy rate (PR). Result(s): Blood found outs
ide the transfer catheter after ET was associated with decreased rates
of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy. In contrast, blood loc
ated inside the transfer catheter after ET, the type of catheter used
for ET, the number of transfer attempts, and the time required for ET
did not significantly affect either the embryo implantation rate or th
e clinical PR. Conclusion(s): Blood found outside, but not inside, the
transfer catheter after ET is associated with lower rates of embryo i
mplantation and clinical pregnancy with the use of IVF-ET. An emphasis
on atraumatic transfer techniques, with prevention of bleeding at the
time of ET, should contribute to improved pregnancy outcome with the
use of IVF-ET. (Fertil Steril(R) 1998;70:878-82. (C) 1998 by American
Society for Reproductive Medicine.).