title: Age of the female partner is a prognostic factor in prolonged unexplained infertility: a multicenter study.
abstract: Among 2,106 couples registered in 12 Canadian infertility clinics, 470 (22.3%) were classed as unexplained infertility after a uniform evaluation of the male ejaculate, ovulation, and tubal patency. The unexplained group included more older female partners; 44% were over 30 years of age at registration in the participating clinics, compared with 36% in other infertility diagnostic groups. The mean duration of infertility was 40.1 months, and the cumulative pregnancy rate was 36.6 +/- 2.9% at 2 years after registration. When the variables were examined with the use of proportional hazards analysis, each additional month of duration of infertility reduced the expected prognosis by 2%, and a history of pregnancy in the partnership improved the prognosis by 80%. Among couples with 3 years or more duration of infertility (cumulative pregnancy rate, 27.5 +/- 3.9%), an additional year in the age of the female partner when conception was first attempted (mean, 26.8 years) reduces the prognosis by 9%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Rowe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis