Subendometrial contractility is not predictive for in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome

The effect of endometrial thickness and endometrial blood flow on pregnancy outcome in intrauterine insemination cycles

Objective:

To investigate whether endometrial thickness and endometrial blood flow on the day of hCG administration is a predictor of intrauterine insemination (IUI) success.

Method:

A cross-sectional prospective clinical study with simple randomized sampling; Patient: 100 women experiencing the IUI cycle; Interventions: a comparison was made between pregnant and non-pregnant patients in terms of the endometrial thickness and pattern as well as the color Doppler flow on the day of hCG administration and also cycle parameters. Main outcome measures: endometrial thickness and patterns as well as the blood flow in color Doppler.

Results:

With the overall pregnancy rate being 38%, it was demonstrated that the endometrial blood flow was significantly greater in the cycle pregnancy obtained on the day of hCG administration, yet it was realized that the endometrial thickness and pattern of sonography did not have any predictive values for endometrial receptivity . In a multivariate analysis, the pregnancy rate was affected by the following variables: the duration of infertility, the women's age, the type number of IUI cycles, the number of injections to stimulate dominant follicles, and the sperm count. In the current study, the variability was realized to be of no predictive values for the IUI outcome, yet the endometrial flow in color Doppler was found to be positively connected with the pregnancy outcome.

Do Endometrial Movements Affect The Achievement of Pregnancy during Intrauterine Insemination?

Background

This study was aimed to assess the effect of endometrial movements on pregnancy achievement in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles.

Materials and Methods

The population of this observational study was composed of unexplained infertility couples undergoing first-time IUI with clomiphene citrate between September 2010 and October 2011. Not only endometrial movements, but also thickness, volume, pattern, and echogenic change of endometrium were analyzed prospectively in prediction of pregnancy.

Results

The total number of 241 cycles of IUI with 49 intrauterine pregnancies (20.3%) was analyzed. Pregnancy was not related to endometrial thickness and endometrial volume, but significantly related to endometrial movements associated with the number of contraction, strong movement, cervicofundal direction, and hyperechoic change (p<0.05). Pregnant group showed higher cervicofundal movement rate (89.8 vs. 75.5%).

Conclusion

For IUI cycles stimulated by clomiphene citrate in unexplained infertility women, endometrial movements on the day of IUI could be a predictor of pregnancy.

Endometrial growth in early pregnancy after IVF/ET

PURPOSE

To detect the endometrial volume change in conception cycles. Additionally we measured endometrium in three planes, to see if the hypothesized endometrial volume differences will be detectable by this surrogate technique.

METHODS

Following the embryo transfer, a three-dimensional ultrasound exam was performed on average days 22 and 28 of the cycle.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight subjects signed the informed consent form, and 63 completed the study. A significant difference was observed between Visit 1 and Visit 2, for endometrial volume, thickness, length and width in the pregnant group, and for endometrial volume, thickness and width in the non-pregnant group.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study we have shown that in normal intrauterine pregnancy after IVF/ET, prominent endometrial volume growth can be detected by a three-dimensional ultrasound over the course of several days. Moreover, in patients who did not conceive in a particular cycle, a decrease in endometrial volume can be seen.

Ultrasound and the receptivity of the endometrium

Ultrasound imaging can be used to assess the endometrium in a number of ways. In particular, time-lapse video recordings can show that the lining of the uterus undergoes rhythmical contractions that vary in strength and intensity throughout the ovarian cycle. These contractions appear to assist in sperm transport at the time of ovulation, but can decrease the chances of a fertilized egg implanting in the uterus if they persist later in the cycle. They are also the cause of ectopic pregnancies occurring in IVF treatment cycles. In order to reduce these uterine contractions and therefore increase the chances of a successful uterine pregnancy, IVF treatment cycles should incorporate minimal stimulation so as to make them as close to natural cycles as possible.

Endometrial thickness and pregnancy outcome after intrauterine insemination

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration is a predictor of intrauterine insemination (IUI) success.

DESIGN

A retrospective study.

PATIENT(S)

Two hundred forty-nine women undergoing IUI cycles.

SETTING

University hospital-based infertility center.

INTERVENTION(S)

Endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration, cycle parameters, and sperm quality were compared between pregnant and nonpregnant patients. A similar comparison was made between ongoing pregnancies and those that resulted in a loss.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Endometrial thickness versus IUI outcome.

RESULT(S)

The overall pregnancy rate was 15%. Mean (+/- standard deviation) endometrial thickness on the day of hCG administration was significantly greater in cycles where pregnancy was achieved (10.1 +/- 3.0 vs. 7.7 +/- 3.5). In the univariate analysis, the following variables affected the pregnancy rate: the woman's age, duration of infertility, the number of IUI cycles, the number of follicles, the diameter of the dominant follicle, the duration of follicle maturation, and sperm count, motility, and morphology. In the multivariate analysis, the strongest predictor of IUI success was the number of IUI cycles. The woman's age was negatively associated with pregnancy outcome, while endometrial thickness and the total motile sperm count were positively associated with pregnancy outcome.

CONCLUSION(S)

The results of the present study suggest that clinicians providing IUI for infertile couples must pay close attention to endometrial development as well as to follicle growth and sperm motility.

Embryo transfer and luteal support in natural cycles

Embryo transfer policy and luteal supplementation was reviewed, comparing literature data and the results from the Maribor IVF Centre. A retrospective analysis of 1024 cycles in patients undergoing IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or testicular sperm aspiration in unstimulated cycles was carried out using four different approaches for cycle monitoring. This showed that the most successful protocol for monitoring was administration of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) when serum oestradiol was >0.49 nmol/l and follicle diameter was at least 15 mm. The implantation rate per transferred embryo was higher when a blastocyst was transferred (42.8%) rather than a day-2 embryo (23.5%) in the same monitoring protocol. Analysis of the influence of patient age on the success of oocyte retrieval, oocyte fertilization, embryo transfer rate and delivery rate demonstrates that patient age does not influence the rate of positive oocyte retrieval or fertilization rate as much as it influences pregnancy rate per embryo transfer. The delivery rate per cycle was dramatically influenced by age in patients over 38 years. There is no clear evidence in the literature as to whether luteal phase support is necessary in natural cycles for IVF/ICSI. Comparing the data, a higher pregnancy rate was observed if HCG was administered after embryo transfer.