Patient age and success in a human IVF programme

Meta-analysis of the embryo freezing transfer interval

BACKGROUND

The decision of whether frozen embryo transfer (FET) should be performed in the cycle immediately after OPU or at least one cycle later is controversial. FET could improve pregnancy rates in IVF; however, how much time is needed for the endometrium to return to optimal receptivity after ovarian stimulation is not known.

METHODS

Electronic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies providing data on the influence of the interval between embryo freezing (or OPU) and FET in FET cycles published between January 1, 2007, and February 1, 2020.

MAIN FINDINGS

Data analyzed indicated that in the immediate FET cycles, there was a trend to an increased biochemical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.08; CI = 1.00-1.18), whereas the clinical pregnancy rate was somewhat higher, but without reaching statistical significance (RR = 1.07; CI = 0.99-1.15). The live birth rate was similar in the two groups (RR = 1.05; CI = 0.95-1.15), as was the implantation rate (RR = 0.98; CI = 0.83-1.16). Stratifying by embryo stage or FET type (freeze-all or FET after failed fresh transfer) showed no differences.

CONCLUSION

Systematically delaying FET does not offer benefits to IVF outcomes. In addition, immediate transfer is associated with a nonsignificant trend to better clinical pregnancy rate and it also avoids the psychological effects of prolonging the stress on prospective parents.

One thousand initiated cycles of in vitro fertilization in women > or = 40 years of age

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the results of IVF in women > or = 40 years of age using their own oocytes.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Wolfson and Royal Masonic in vitro fertilization units, London, United Kingdom.

PATIENT(S)

A total of 1,087 IVF cycles were started in women > or = 40 years of age.

INTERVENTION(S)

Medical records of patient outcomes were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and delivery rates.

RESULT(S)

Of the 1,087 cycles started in 471 women > or = 40 years of age, 842 reached oocyte retrieval (77.5%) and 702 had embryos transferred (64.6%). The pregnancy rate (PR) was significantly lower in women > or = 40 years of age than in a control group of women <40 years of age (11.3% versus 28.2%). It decreased sharply in women >42 years of age, and no women >45 years of age had a child. Women > or = 40 years of age were more likely to miscarry (27% versus 12.7%). When only one embryo was available for transfer, the PR was 3.3%. When >2 embryos were available for transfer, the PR was similar whether 2 or 3 embryos were replaced. No triplet pregnancy occurred. Women > or = 40 years of age achieved a cumulative PR of 30% after three cycles with a cumulative "take home baby" rate of 21%.

CONCLUSION(S)

In vitro fertilization is a reasonable treatment for women <45 years of age using their own gametes. Those with a "good response" in their first attempt may be encouraged to complete three cycles with an acceptable chance of conception.

The impact of maternal age on clinical pregnancy and spontaneous abortion in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and gamete intra-fallopian transfer

The age at which women should be advised against proceeding with initial or further infertility treatment is one of the many unresolved questions in this area of women's health and was the subject of investigation in this study. One of the major difficulties in determining the impact of maternal age on outcomes is the practice of researchers (publishing in journals) and infertility practitioners (reporting to national registers) of coding age as a categorical rather than a continuous variable. In this study, groups of younger (< 30 years) and older (> 35 years) women undergoing assisted reproduction treatments were compared with regards to clinical pregnancy and spontaneous abortion rates following in vitro fertilization (IVF) or gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT). Response to different ovarian stimulation protocols was also assessed for the 2 groups. The significance of the relationship between maternal age, clinical pregnancy rates, spontaneous abortion rates and the type of treatment and stimulation protocol employed, was tested using a series of binomial distributions. The results indicated that maternal age adversely affects both clinical pregnancy rates and rates of spontaneous abortion, when summed across treatments and stimulation protocols. However, while the age/outcome relationship held for IVF, the GIFT by age relationship was not significant. Stimulation protocols using clomiphene citrate (CC) or gonadotrophin agonists (GnRHa) may impact negatively on older women.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of the age of the recipients on pregnancy rates following donor-oocyte replacement

PURPOSE

Besides waning ovarian function with advancing age, the question of a uterine senescence factor has been proposed as a cause of decreased fecundity. The replacement of oocytes from younger donors into older recipients allows further investigation into the aging endometrium.

RESULTS

The pregnancy rate was considerably lower, 8.5% in recipients in ovarian failure who were > or = 40 years old (n = 23) compared to younger recipients, < 40 years of age (n = 55), who were also in ovarian failure, which would support the uterine senescence theory.

CONCLUSION

The endometrial factor may be manifested by failure to generate a critical endometrial thickness of 10 mm by sonography in 61% of the older group, compared to only 29% of the younger group. Future studies should address methods of improving the endometrial thickness in the older group, to determine if improved pregnancy rates will occur and to evaluate whether increasing luteal support with extra progesterone may also improve pregnancy rates.

Delaying childbearing: effect of age on fecundity and outcome of pregnancy

OBJECTIVES

To study the age of the start of the fall (critical age) in fecundity; the probability of a pregnancy leading to a healthy baby taking into account the age of the woman; and, combining these results, to determine the age dependent probability of getting a healthy baby.

DESIGN

Cohort study of all women who had entered a donor insemination programme.

SETTING

Two fertility clinics serving a large part of The Netherlands.

SUBJECTS

Of 1637 women attending for artificial insemination 751 fulfilled the selection criteria, being married to an azoospermic husband and nulliparous and never having received donor insemination before.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The number of cycles before pregnancy (a positive pregnancy test result) or stopping treatment; and result of the pregnancy (successful outcome).

RESULTS

Of the 751 women, 555 became pregnant and 461 had healthy babies. The fall in fecundity was estimated to start at around 31 years (critical age); after 12 cycles the probability of pregnancy in a woman aged greater than 31 was 0.54 compared with 0.74 in a woman aged 20.31. After 24 cycles this difference had decreased (probability of conception 0.75 in women greater than 31 and 0.85 in women 20.31). The probability of having a healthy baby also decreased--by 3.5% a year after the age of 30. Combining both these age effects, the chance of a woman aged 35 having a healthy baby was about half that of a woman aged 25.

CONCLUSION

After the age of 31 the probability of conception falls rapidly, but this can be partly compensated for by continuing insemination for more cycles. In addition, the probability of an adverse pregnancy outcome starts to increase at about the same age.