Pregnancy outcome after in-vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection in women with congenital uterus didelphys

Complex Presentation of Uterus Didelphys With Bilateral Leiomyomas: A Case Report

Müllerian duct anomalies and uterine leiomyomas represent distinctive facets of female reproductive health. While uterine leiomyomas are prevalent reproductive pathologies, the coexistence of Müllerian anomalies and leiomyomas is relatively uncommon. This case study examines the complex medical and surgical management of a woman who initially presented with chronic abdominal pain and swelling. Following evaluation, the patient received a diagnosis of an uncommon co-occurrence of congenital uterus didelphys and leiomyomas. Notably, during the surgical procedure, a rectovesical peritoneal band was identified. This case study seeks to broaden the scientific understanding of these subsets of women, offering insights into the complexities arising from a common diagnosis overlaying a rare condition.

Assisted reproductive technology outcomes in women with congenital uterine anomalies: a systematic review

PURPOSE

The present systematic review aimed to assess the fecundity of women with congenital uterine anomalies (CUAs) undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART).

METHODS

The present systematic review of the literature was reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. We systematically searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus, from database inception to 17th October 2023. Studies were deemed eligible only if they included women with CUAs clearly fitting into one of the categories of the ASRM Müllerian anomalies classification 2021.

RESULTS

Data relevant to the reproductive outcomes of women with CUAs who underwent ART were extracted from 55 studies. Regarding Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, studies on gestational surrogacy reported a live birth rate (LBR) ranging from 37 to 54%. Uterus transplant, although still experimental, showed promising results. Most studies reported a negative impact of unicornuate uterus and partial or complete septate uterus on both the miscarriage rate (MR) and the live birth rate (LBR). The reproductive prognosis of women with unicornuate uterus was shown to be particularly poor in case of twin pregnancy. Uterus didelphys, bicornuate and arcuate uterus seem not to negatively impact the ART reproductive outcomes. Uterus didelphys was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), cesarean section and low birth weight (LBW).

CONCLUSION

Women with CUAs should be informed regarding the impact (if any) of their congenital anomaly on both the chances of success of ART and on pregnancy-related complications. Elective single embryo transfer (eSET) should always be the first choice in patients with an increased baseline obstetric risk.

Impact of congenital uterine anomalies on obstetric and perinatal outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Congenital uterine anomalies (CUA) can be associated with impairments of early and late pregnancy events.

Objective

To assess the impact of CUA on reproductive outcomes in pregnancies conceived spontaneously or after assisted reproduction.

Materials and Methods

Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies comparing patients with CUA versus women with normal uterus. A structured literature search was performed in leading scientific databases to identify prospective and retrospective studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale, adapted to AHRQ standards, was used to assess the risk of bias. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Publication bias and statistical heterogeneity were assessed, and meta-regression was used to analyse the heterogeneity.

Main outcome measures

Miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, term, and premature rupture of membranes (PROM), malpresentation at delivery, preterm delivery prior to 37, 34 and 32 weeks, caesarean delivery, intrauterine growth restriction/small for gestational age, foetal mortality and perinatal mortality.

Results

32 studies were included. CUAs increased significantly the risk of first/second trimester miscarriage (OR:1.54;95%CI:1.14-2.07), placental abruption (OR:5.04;3.60-7.04), PROM (OR:1.71;1.34-2.18), foetal malpresentation at delivery (OR:21.04;10.95-40.44), preterm birth (adjusted OR:4.34;3.59-5.21), a caesarean delivery (adjusted OR:7.69;4.17-14.29), intrauterine growth restriction/small for gestational age (adjusted OR:50;6.11-424), foetal mortality (OR:2.07;1.56-2.73) and perinatal mortality (OR:3.28;2.01-5.36).

Conclusions

CUA increases the risk of complications during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum. Complications most frequent in CUA patients were preterm delivery, foetal malpresentation, and caesarean delivery.

What is new?

Bicornuate uterus was associated with the highest number of adverse outcomes, followed by didelphys, subseptate and septate uterus.

Impact of congenital uterine anomalies on reproductive outcomes of IVF/ICSI-embryo transfer: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To study the impact of congenital uterine anomalies on reproductive outcomes after in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-embryo transfer (ET).

METHODS

A retrospective study including a total of 865women with congenital uterine anomalies and 865 age and admission time matched controls who underwent the first IVF/ICSI-ET cycle between January 2010 and December 2019 was conducted. Women with uterine anomalies were classified into canalization defect (complete septate uterus and subseptate uterus) and unification defect (unicornuate uterus, bicornuate uterus, and didelphus uterus) according to the processes of abnormal embryological development. Control women were selected by age (± 1.0 year) and admission time (± 6 months) matched with a 1:1 ratio. The reproductive outcomes were compared between women with uterine anomalies and the controls. The primary outcome was live birth; secondary outcomes were clinical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, preterm delivery, and spontaneous pregnancy loss.

RESULTS

Compared with women with a normal uterus, women with canalization defects were less likely to experience live birth [84/332 (25.3%) vs 128/332 (38.6%), RR: 0.647, 95% CI 0.513-0.815, P < 0.001]. They also had a lower clinical pregnancy rate [126/332 (38.0%) vs 206/332 (62.0%), RR: 0.829, 95% CI 0.690-0.997, P = 0.046] and experienced a higher first-trimester pregnancy loss rate [25/126 (19.8%) vs 11/206 (5.3%), RR: 2.716, 95% CI 1.393-5.295, P = 0.003]. Compared with women with a normal uterus, women with a unification defect were also less likely to experience live birth [132/533 (24.8%) vs 219/533 (41.1%), RR: 0.713, 95% CI 0.586-0.868, P = 0.001]. Women with a unification defect had lower clinical pregnancy rates [182/533 (34.1%) vs 263/533 (49.1%), RR: 0.813, 95% CI 0.695-0.952, P = 0.010] and increased first-trimester pregnancy loss [36/182 (19.8%) vs 20/263 (7.6%), RR: 3.288, 95% CI 1.776-6.085, P < 0.001]. While uterine anomaly seemed not increase the risk of preterm birth, ectopic pregnancy and second-trimester pregnancy loss.

CONCLUSIONS

Both canalization defects and unification defects were associated with lower fertility outcomes, including lower live birth rates, lower clinical pregnancy rates, and higher early miscarriage rates.

Pregnancy outcomes following natural conception and assisted reproduction treatment in women who received COVID-19 vaccination prior to conception: a population-based cohort study in China

Introduction

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has swept across the world and continues to exert serious adverse effects on vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and neonates. The vaccines available at present were designed to prevent infection from COVID-19 strains and control viral spread. Although the incidence of pregnancy cycle outcomes are not likely to increase patients vaccinated prior to pregnancy compared with unvaccinated patients based on our knowledge of vaccination safety, there is no specific evidence to support this hypothesis. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the association between maternal vaccination prior to conception and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 2,614 women who received prenatal care and delivered in the Obstetrical Department of The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between February 2022 and November 2022. Of the 1,380 eligible pregnant women, 899 women who had received preconception vaccination were assigned to a vaccine group and 481 women who were not vaccinated were control group. Of the enrolled patients, 291 women received fertility treatment (141 vaccinated women, 150 unvaccinated women). The primary outcomes were pregnancy complications (hypothyroidism, gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy-induced hypertension, polyhydramnios, oligohydramnios, premature rupture of membranes and postpartum hemorrhage), obstetric outcomes (preterm birth rate, cesarean section rate) and neonatal outcomes (birth-weight, body length, low-birth-weight rate, rate of congenital defects, neonatal mortality and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit).

Results

There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications during pregnancy and delivery when compared between the vaccine group and control group in either univariate- or multivariate-models. The type of vaccine was not associated with the odds of adverse pregnancy outcome. Among the women with infertility treatment, the vaccinated group and the unvaccinated group had similar pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusion

Women who received COVID-19 vaccination prior to conception had similar maternal and neonatal outcomes as women who were unvaccinated. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccinations can be safely administered prior to pregnancy in women who are planning pregnancy or assisted reproductive treatment. During new waves of COVID-19 infection, women who are planning pregnancy should be vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid subsequent infections.