Are singleton assisted reproductive technology pregnancies at risk of prematurity?

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine the risk of premature delivery among singleton pregnancies delivered from assisted reproduction technology (ART) . Methods: Ninety-Jive singleton ART pregnancies and 190 matched spontaneous pregnancies were assessed for preterm delivery rates, pregnancy complicatio ns, and cesarean section rates in a retrospective study at an academic medi cal center. Results: Among the ART singleton deliveries group (n = 95), 19 (20%) were p reterm, which was statistically significantly higher than the 4% (8 of 190) found in the control group. Among the pregnancies achieved by intracytopla smic sperm injection (ICSI) in the severe male-factor infertility subgroup (n = 22), only one preterm delivery occurred (4.5%). Conclusions: Singleton ART pregnancies are at an increased risk of preterm delivery compared to singleton pregnancies after spontaneous conception. Th e higher rate may be attributed to various infertility cofactors, such as u terine malformations, previous operative procedures that involved cervical dilatation, and a history of pelvic infection. This is supported by the fin ding that ICSI-derived pregnancies in couples with strict male-factor infer tility are not at an increased risk of preterm delivery.